A Real Family
by gothina234
Summary: For Sandra Johansson.144. Spencer Reid is six years old and only wants a proper family. Living in an abusive home and fearful of his own father, he suddenly finds his life changing. Abducted by an unsub who thinks they are saving him, he searches for a way to escape. The BAU are on the case and determined to save those taken. But will Spencer find a new home with the BAU family?
1. Chapter 1

**Hey, everyone. Here is a new story for you all. This was a story proposal from .144 and I am more than happy to create a new story after her wonderful support of my stories and her lovely message to me. I also had this idea for a young Reid story floating in the back of my mind and it seemed perfect time to do it. I hope you enjoy this and I look forward to hearing from you all.  
**

**There will be scenes of child abuse, domestic violence and a scene of child abduction but there will be no non-con so for those who are worried about that, don't be. **

**Enjoy and please review **

**All mistakes are my own**

Spencer flinched as he heard something crash to the floor downstairs. "WHERE IS HE?"

He hated when his father didn't have a good day because it meant more pain and misery. Fear began to flood his small heart as his bedroom door slammed open. His father's heavy shoes slammed down on the ground as he stormed around the room. "I know you're here, Spencer. You're being a very bad boy. Be a man and take your punishment."

Spencer knew he wasn't a man, he was just a six year old boy and a frightened one who just wanted his father to be nice. Hiding under the bed wasn't what a child should have to do. He just wanted a normal family but he could never have that. He already knew why his father was angry. Spencer knew he was angry about the bottle of missing whiskey from the top of the cupboard that had been there in the morning but wasn't there any more. His mother had broken it while screaming about the world being nothing but a lie. A strong hand gripped his ankle and dragged him from under the bed.

"Daddy, no!" he pleaded as he was thrown against the bookshelf.

"You're going to pay for breaking that bottle," he yelled angrily into Spencer's face.

He wanted so much to tell his father the truth but that would mean his mother would be hurt again. The bruises she had been left with the last time were seared into his young mind. "I'm sorry, daddy. It was an accident."

A sharp slap came to his face causing him to the fall to the floor. Spencer clutched his cheek as tears ran down to his quivering lips. William grabbed Spencer's piggy bank and emptied it on the bed. He grabbed all of the money before gripping Spencer's jacket and marching him down the steps. The porch floor scraped the skin on Spencer's hands as he was thrown out of the house.

"You stay out of this house till tomorrow morning. If I find you in this house, you'll wish you had never been born."

This wasn't the first time that he had been thrown out of the house and Spencer knew it wasn't going to be the last. As he picked himself up and walked down the steps, he tried to ignore the stinging coming from his hands. He decided to go to the place where he felt safe but he knew he would only be able to stay there for a few hours. The library came into view after twenty minutes of walking through the busy streets.

"Oh, Spencer."

He looked up and smiled as the librarian rushed over to him and knelt in front of him. The library was his sanctuary and the one place he always felt safe. The librarian knew him from his many visits and was aware of his advanced intellect. Janet Poe was someone he trusted greatly. Spencer kept what his father did to him a secret because he didn't want his father to hurt her.

"What happened, Spencer?" she asked with a caring voice as she lifted his hands.

"I fell and hurt my hands. I hit my face down on the ground too. I'm sorry, Miss Poe."

"We all fall down, honey," she smiled. "Come with me and we will get you all cleaned up. I think we have some juice too so I'll get you some and then we can pick out some books for you to read. Did your father drop you off?"

"Yes, Miss Poe, at the corner, I fell walking from the corner. Daddy says I'm clumsy."

"We can't all be ballerinas with perfect balance," she chuckled before getting to her feet and guiding him over to a table. "What do you want to read today? Empty Planet is finally available. People have been checking that out like crazy."

"Sounds like a great book," Spencer said happily.

* * *

"We have a new case," Hotch spoke as he sat down at the round table. "It's not going to be an easy one either. Three children between the ages of five and seven have been reported missing in the last week and the police in Las Vegas suspect that the same person has committed the abductions."

"Do the police think that they are still alive?" JJ questioned as she looked through the file.

"No bodies have been found so far but each of the families have been sent the children's shoes along with a note. All the notes have had the word 'MONSTERS' written on them and that's it."

"Look at the way the shoes are," Emily observed. "The unsub is most likely a female. The shoes look freshly cleaned and the way the laces are tied is almost identical. Where were the children taken from?"

Garcia stepped in to speak this time. "Well, Johnny Pross was taken while walking to a friends house just down the street. Eric Wednesday was suspected to have been taken while at the park and Martin Quill went missing from outside his house. Social services is currently looking into the parents of all three children."

"Why?" Morgan asked.

"Johnny's mother was found to be intoxicated by a neighbour who had heard him scream. By the time they had managed to get to the street, he was gone. The neighbour rushed to the house but found that the mother had been drinking heavily. Eric's mother is being investigated over drugs as she was found with baggies in her possession and it looks like she was there to meet her dealer. Martin had been left home alone by his mother. She was partying with her boyfriend."

"The unsub doesn't want to hurt these children," Rossi sighed. "She's trying to protect them from their parents. Three abductions in a week is high risk and she must have stalked the families for weeks or even months before hand."

"We need to find these children quickly," Hotch said as he closed the file. "We have no idea what the unsub's mental state is and we need to get the children to safety as quickly as we can. Wheels up in thirty."

* * *

**Three hours later**

Miss Poe leaned around the door to check on Spencer. She worried about the young man and wanted him to tell her what was wrong. He looked too skinny for a six year old and had a sadness to his eyes that made her heart ache inside. Her attention became drawn to the back office as a crash that could only belong to glass filled the air. She was the last worker at the library and Spencer was the last visitor. She walked into the back to see pieces of glass scattered across the floor.

A fierce flash of pain filled her head as something smashed into the back of her head. She fell to the floor and saw her vision begin to fade. A pair of blue converses came into view before the darkness overwhelmed her.

* * *

Spencer finished reading Moby dick and stroked the cover of the book. He liked when the library was closing. There was no-one giving him strange looks and the silence around him became his own world where nothing could hurt him. As he turned around, he didn't have the chance to scream as a woman shoved a cloth over his mouth. No matter how much he struggled, the sweet smell coming from the cloth caused him to start falling asleep.

"Shhh," the woman cooed as she lowered him to the ground. "You'll be with your new family soon."

As he succumbed to the darkness overcoming him, he felt two arms lift him into the air and couldn't stop his head from falling against his abductor's chest.

* * *

**An hour later**

Hotch and the team walked into the station to be met with the worried face of an officer. "I'm Detective Glass. Another child has been abducted."

"From where and how old?" Hotch questioned.

"The boy's name is Spencer Reid and he is six years old. He was taken from the local library. The librarian was knocked out and when she came to, Spencer was missing and she knows that he wouldn't leave on his own. We've sent some officers to his home to inform his parents."

"The rapid abductions mean that the unsub is become more unstable. We need to find these kids and now."

**Please review**

**\- Note - Reid did state in the show that he read Empty Planet at the age of six.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Hey, everyone. Here is the next chapter for you all. This is my only update for tonight as I had it ready the other day and I want to pose a question to you all. I have just had this idea and it won't leave my head. How many of you would read a bad ass Reid fic where he becomes a vigilante? A vigilante like you see in Arrow. I have the plot in my head worked out but I don't want to spoil too much by putting too much information here. What do you all think? Anyway, I'm so glad you all like this story and I look forward to hearing from you all. Enjoy!  
**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews. You're all amazing and absolutely superb. Thank you!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

JJ and Rossi walked into the hospital and made their way to talk to the librarian that had reported Spencer Reid missing. They knocked on the door and walked in to find a nurse comforting the injured woman as she cried.

"Miss Poe, my name is Jennifer Jareau, I'm with the FBI. This is Agent David Rossi. We're looking into the disappearance of Spencer and three other boys. We need to ask you some questions if we can," JJ said as she held up her badge.

"I don't think this is a good time," the nurse spoke gently.

"No, it's fine," Miss Poe cried before taking a deep breath. "The quicker I answer their questions, the quicker they will find Spencer and the other boys."

The nurse nodded and left the room. JJ walked to bed and gave Miss Poe a comforting smile. "What happened before you were knocked out?"

"I thought it was just Spencer and myself left in the library. I was finishing up for the night while Spencer was reading Moby Dick."

"Moby dick?" Rossi questioned. "That's a very advanced book for a six year old."

"Spencer is a very special child," she smiled. "He has an eidetic memory, has an IQ of 187 and can read twenty thousand words a minute. They tested him at his school not that long ago. He's a genius. He was reading while I finished up and I kept checking on him. I heard a glass smash so I went to take a look. I saw the smashed glass and then felt nothing but pain in the back of my head. The last thing I saw before I blacked out was a pair of blue converses. I didn't see who hit me or who took Spencer. Please find him. He's such a special boy and I couldn't bear if anything happened to him."

"We suspect that he was taken due to problems at home. Have you ever seen any signs of abuse on Spencer?"

Miss Poe nodded before letting out a wince. She regained her composure and took a shaky breath. "I never had proof so no-one would listen. Spencer comes in with bruises sometimes and they aren't just from playing rough with other children or falling down. He came into the library today and his hands were scraped up and a bruise was starting to bloom on his cheek. I've asked him if anyone hurts him at home but he just shakes his head and says he is clumsy. It's his eyes too. No child should have that much sadness in their eyes. I should have done more," she cried before burying her face in her hands.

"It's okay," JJ said as she tried to keep Miss Poe calm. "We'll find Spencer and get him back."

* * *

Hotch and Morgan travelled to the Reid's residence after a small package containing Spencer's shoes had been delivered there by a teenager who had been paid by a middle aged woman. They walked into the house after greeting the police officer standing guard. Morgan walked in to see Diana Reid crying on the couch with her husband, William Reid, comforting her with his arm around her shoulders. He didn't miss the way she stilled under her husband's touch.

"I'm going to speak with parents," Hotch whispered. "Go and take a look in Spencer's room. You know what to look for."

"Keep an eye on the husband," Morgan spoke before heading up the stairs.

Hotch watched as William caught sight of Morgan going up the stairs. "Where is he going?"

"Don't worry, Mr Reid. He's just going to check out your son's room to see if Spencer and the other boys have anything in common. We need to be thorough during this investigation and time is a key factor. May I sit?"

"Please," Diana gestured to a chair opposite them. She let out a small sob and wiped her cheeks with her tissue. "Please find our son. He's everything in the world to us. Please, I can't lose him. I can't lose my little boy."

"We're going to do our very best to find him. I need to know Spencer's routine. Was he dropped off at the library where he was taken? I assume that one of you took him. It seems a long way for a six year old to walk on his own."

"I dropped him off," William said. "He's a bookworm, just like his mother. I had to go back to work but I thought he would be safe in the library. I guess I was wrong."

Hotch studied William and noticed a lack of care in his behaviour. His words tried to portray him as a caring father but Hotch very much doubted that he was. A glass of whiskey was on the table along with the bottle by the side of the couch.

"Why wasn't Mrs Reid able to go with him to the library?"

"Diana isn't very well and Spencer is able to take care of himself."

Hotch bit his tongue and refrained from telling William what he really thought. "I just have a few more questions, Mr and Mrs Reid."

* * *

Morgan walked into Spencer's room and frowned at how bare it looked. There was a bookshelf but very few books lay on it while there was only a small amount of covers and blankets on the bed. Nothing screamed that this room belonged to a six year old child. There were no toys, no video games and it felt more like a cell than a child's room. As he searched the drawers, he found some clothing but the clothing was mismatched and some items ripped. As he went to rise up, he caught sight of a red stain on the floor being partially covered by a box. He pushed the box to the side and found a smeared and bloody hand print dried into the wooden floor. "What the hell?" Morgan muttered.

Morgan walked over to the cupboard and found it bare apart from a few pieces of junk. As he went to leave, his foot hit something hard that moved. He knelt and pulled some of the wood down. Four connected planks came down to reveal a medium sized square hole. Inside was a selection of over twenty books that many people didn't read till college or high school, toys that had seen better days, a teddy bear with an eye missing and a journal that was barely being contained by its spine. He picked up the notebook and opened it to find neat writing that wasn't normal for a six year old. Every page was filled with detailed drawings and words. He tucked the book into the inside of his coat and also took the teddy bear. He sensed that this meant a lot to little Spencer.

* * *

Spencer groaned as became aware again and sluggishly opened his eyes. He opened his brown eyes to see three other boys staring at him. As one went to touch him, he leaned away and tried to stop himself from being sick.

"Hey, don't be afraid," one of the boys said. "My name is Eric. This is also Johnny and this is Martin."

"Where am I?" Spencer said before rising up slowly from the bed.

"The bad lady took us," Martin said fearfully.

Johnny helped him sit up and brought over a cup of water. "Drink."

Spencer gulped down the water offered to him by the boy and finished it quickly. He rose into a sitting position and stared at them. "What am I doing here?"

Eric stepped forward. "What's your name? How old are you?"

"My name is Spencer and I'm six."

"Don't make her mad," Eric said quickly. "Just do what she says. Don't fight her."

All four of them looked to the door as they heard a key turn in the lock. Martin and Johnny ran to their beds and laid under the duvets. Eric rushed to get Spencer under the covers. "Don't talk unless she lets you."

Eric quickly went to his bed and laid under the duvet as the door opened. Spencer bit his lip and closed his eyes as footsteps came over to his bed. He remembered the woman with the cloth and was scared of what might happen to him. The duvet above him was moved away.

"Spencer, there is no need to be afraid," the woman smiled as she picked him up and perched him on the edge of the bed. Her hair was a golden blonde colour while her eyes were an almost emerald green. There was something wrong with her and even Spencer could see a sense of madness in her eyes. "You're safe here now. Now, we're going to get you some milk and I'll explain the rules of this house to you. I'm a good mother, Spencer, but rules must be followed and you will be punished if you break them."

Spencer kept still as he was picked up and held against her chest. He wanted his real mother to be holding him, not this woman. She had taken him from the one place he had felt safe but that safety had been shattered. She put him down on a chair after locking the basement door and poured a glass of milk for him. He searched for anyway of escaping but found his search fruitless.

"Now, drink your milk, Spencer," she ordered as she sat next to him. Spencer kept his hands in his lap and avoided looking at her.

"Stop it!" he gasped as her hand grabbed his wrist and held it in an almost iron grip. "Please, you're hurting me."

"Drink your milk!"

"I can't. Dairy makes me sick," Spencer quickly yelled before trying to pull his hand away. She released her grip on his hand and began to stroke his hair. He stilled under her touch and rubbed his wrist.

"I'm sorry, sweetie," she cooed. "I'll get you some juice in a moment. Now, I want you to listen to the rules. You are not to leave this house and any attempt to leave without me will be met with severe punishment. You are to play nice with your brothers and you'll be punished for any misbehaviour. Food will be served at the dining table and I expect you to finish your plate each time. You are to show respect to me as I'm your mother. You don't want to upset mommy now, do you?"

Spencer couldn't stop the words that burst from his mouth. "You're not my mom!" he snapped.

His abductor kicked her chair back and grabbed him by the wrist. Tears sprang to his eyes as he was dragged to a small cupboard in the wall that was bigger than a box. Spencer's head hit against the wall as he was thrown in.

"I am your mother and you'll learn to respect me!" she screamed before slamming the small cupboard shut and locking it.

"No," Spencer cried as he hit against the door. "No, let me out!"

**Please review**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, here is the next chapter for you all. I'm really happy that you're enjoying the story and I want to let you know that I have some super cute moments planned between Spencer and Morgan. I'm updating Bring Me Home and Torment of Darkness tomorrow. I've lightened my hair and it took a little longer than I thought it would so I've had to split my updates over two days. For one day only, I'm blonde. I'll be ginger after that. I did have blue hair but decided to change it. Enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you all.  
**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews. I love you all and just want to give you all a giant hug. Thank you!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

Spencer couldn't stop crying as he clutched his head. He was used to his father's abuse and anger but this woman scared him because of her delusion that he was her son. He just wanted his mother to pick him up and hold him. Her voice always made him feel safe and made his young life more bearable when dealing with his father hitting and shouting at him. He only had one mommy and knew she was missing him. Even in the dark, the small cut to his head made itself known. Slowly, he felt the blood rolling down his forehead and into his eye. Spencer laid on the ground and clung to the small sliver of light that leaked through the small gap between the floor and the cupboard door. The dark was a horrible monster to him and his father happily fed him to the monster each time when he thought that he had done something wrong.

He heard voices coming from outside the cupboard door. He recognised them as the voices of the other boys. The woman that had kidnapped them all spoke to them sweetly and the smell of food began to flow into the cupboard. His small stomach began to rumble but he ignored it. It wasn't the first time he had felt hunger and this wasn't the worst hunger he had ever felt.

Rage overcame his small heart as he heard each of them say thank you to her and call her mommy. He hit his small fists against the door. "She's not your mommy!" he screamed. "She'll never be my mommy!"

* * *

Morgan looked down at the bear as he entered into the police station where the team had set themselves up. He joined the rest of them and put the bear on the table.

"What's with the bear?" Emily asked.

"There is definitely abuse going on in the Reid household but I don't think the mother is hurting her son. It's the father, William, dishing out the abuse. The bear belongs to Spencer and I thought it might help when we find him. His room isn't a room that belongs to a six year old. It felt cold and was bare. No toys, barely any books and his clothes are ripped. Well, the clothes that I could actually find. I found a secret compartment hidden in his closet behind a wooden panel. There are books in there that I wasn't reading till high school and college."

"What kind of books?"

"To Kill a Mockingbird, an Edgar Allan Poe collection of stories, a book called The Illustrated Man and a lot more. I saw Isaac Asimov books, books by Stephen King as well as classic books. Here look at this too."

Morgan reached into his coat and pulled out the thick journal. Emily took it from his hands and opened it. She gasped as she took in the sight of the detailed drawings and the beautiful handwriting. "Morgan, this isn't normal for a six year old."

"That's because he isn't a normal six year old," Rossi said from the doorway with JJ.

"What are you talking about?" Emily questioned.

"Miss Poe, the librarian, she told us about Spencer. He has an IQ of 187, can read twenty thousand words a minute and has an eidetic memory," JJ explained. "He had finished reading Moby Dick when he was taken. She's incredibly upset about his disappearance. He's a regular visitor to the library and she told us that he has come in with some incredibly rough bruises and cuts. She tried to get him to admit what was happening but he wouldn't tell her. No-one would listen to her and just dismissed her. I'm guessing William might have something to do with that. Hotch called us on the way over and told us what happened at the house. Where is he?"

"Speaking with the lead detective about the road blocks. He'll be here in a moment," Morgan said.

"Listen to this," Emily sighed as she began to read from the journal. "Mommy can't stop crying and I know it's because daddy is hurting her. It's all my fault and I shouldn't have disobeyed him. Mommy took the blame and I should have been a man and taken the blame. I'm a bad son and mommy deserves better."

"No child should ever have those thoughts," JJ shook her head.

"Every time he has written the word, daddy, it looks like his hand has shaken. He's deeply afraid of him."

"We need to focus on finding Spencer and the other boys. We'll find them and make sure that they are kept safe and cared for," Morgan said.

* * *

Spencer moaned and awoke from his slumber as his small body was picked up from the floor and carried to the couch. His vision cleared enough for him to see his abductor soaking a white cloth in some water and wiping the blood from his face. She sighed and put a medium sized bandage over his forehead. "I'm sorry for hurting you, little one. You made mommy very angry and I was very upset."

Spencer shuffled away from her to other side of the couch before she could stop him. "You're not my mommy."

"I will not tell you again, Spencer," she said quietly with anger seething in her voice.

"My mommy protects me and love me. She's the best mommy in the world and I won't call you mommy. I'll only ever have one mommy."

His kidnapper smashed the bowl to the ground and grabbed his upper arms. "CALL ME, MOMMY!"

"No!" Spencer screamed at her. "I don't care if you hit me. My daddy hits me and nothing you do will make me call you mommy because I can take it. You're insane!"

His abductor stormed over to a cupboard and pulled out something that Spencer couldn't see. He ran to the front door and frantically tried to open it but couldn't reach the locks. He screamed as a cloth came over his mouth and tried to fight against her but failed as the sweet smell made him collapse against her. He closed his eyes and wanted so hard to believe that when he woke up, he would be back in his mommy's arms.

* * *

Diana cried in her bedroom as she looked at the few pictures that she had of Spencer. She loved her little boy and just wanted to hold him back in her arms. All her life, she had wanted a child but she hated herself for allowing her son to grow up with a man such as her husband. Fear kept her from telling anyone. William was a popular and respected lawyer and she knew she wouldn't stand a chance if she tried to run from him. He had threatened to put her away in a horrible psychiatric ward she knew existed and take custody of Spencer. Diana knew no-one would believe her because of her schizophrenia if she tried to tell anyone about William's abuse. Her beautiful smart boy deserved a better home.

She quickly hid the pictures under the pillow as William came into her room. He knelt in front of her. "Diana, what are you going to say if those agents start asking questions?"

"That nothing is wrong in this house. You're a good father to Spencer."

"Well, it's good to know that someone has there head on straight although I never thought it would be you," he shrugged. "This is all Spencer's fault."

"Why would you say that?" Diana spoke timidly. "He was taken against his will."

"I called a contact in the police station. They think he was taken by a woman. I mean, how much more weakness does he have to bring to the Reid name? We can always have another child if we can't find him. Second time is the charm."

"There is nothing wrong with our son!" Diana snapped as the rage overcame her.

"You don't speak to me like that!" he yelled back. "Do we need a repeat of the last time you made me angry?"

"No," she shook her head quickly.

"Good girl. Now, I'm going to go down to the bar. If any of the agents ask, tell them that I'm out looking for our son."

* * *

Spencer woke up to find himself back in the cupboard but this time he couldn't move his arms or his legs. He whimpered into the duct tape over his mouth and hated the feeling of it wrapped around his arms and legs. Tears hit the tape as he couldn't stop himself from wetting himself.

He jumped as he heard breathing from the other side of the cupboard. "Spencer, my darling little boy. You have to be reminded that it isn't nice to upset your mommy. It's not nice to upset me. I just want to give you a good home and we can all be a family."

She began to cry. "Spencer, why won't you love me? I'm your mommy and I just want to hold you and keep you safe. When I think you've learned your lesson, you can come out and if you finally call me mommy, I'll give you ice cream."

He laid on the ground and shook his head. Nothing could ever make him forget his real mommy.

**Please review**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hey, everyon_e. _Here is the next chapter for you all. I hope you reall enjoy this chapter. Get ready for the cute Morgan and Spencer moments to come in future chapters. Trust me, William Reid is going to pay and there is plenty more to come. Enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you all. **

**Thank you so much for all the reviews. You're absolutely beautiful readers! Thank you!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own **

Hotch almost spilled his coffee as Garcia suddenly appeared on the computer screen in front of him. "Sorry for making you jump, Hotch. I think I have a lead on who took the boys."

"What have you got?" he questioned.

"I did some research and found a newspaper article about a young woman named Francesca June. Three years ago, she lost her four children to a gas explosion in her home. She wasn't home and they had been left with a babysitter while she went to work. She had four boys, Hotch. They were all aged under ten years old. This has to be our unsub. She spent a year in psychiatric care before being released and prescribed medication. She wasn't easy to find."

"Do you have a current address?" Hotch asked as he stood up and waved the rest of the team into the room.

"I don't have a current address for her but her father passed away five months ago and left behind a property. I'm sending you the address now. Be careful, my doves."

"Garcia, you're brilliant. Good work," Hotch smiled at her. Morgan and the rest of the team rushed out to get themselves ready.

As Morgan finished strapping his vest on, he realised that he needed something before they left. Rushing back into the room, he grabbed Spencer's teddy bear and joined the rest of the team in the SUV.

* * *

Spencer sobbed as the tape began to rub his skin. His skin hurt and the woman whom had kidnapped him had turned the lights off in the room outside of the cupboard. Time passed without measure as he laid inside the cupboard. He had wet himself but it had now dried, leaving the stench of urine filling the cupboard. He tried to imagine the feeling of his own mother's arms around him. He missed her voice and the way she would sing to him after he had received a beating from his drunken father. His father didn't care that he was only six. Spencer knew his father enjoyed beating him and had always hated him after seeing how smart he was from a young age.

He jumped as he heard the sound of multiple crashes outside of the cupboard. He wanted to call out for help but no sound would escape from the tape over his mouth. A horrific and almost feral scream filled the air.

"NO! YOU CAN'T TAKE MY CHILDREN AWAY FROM ME!"

* * *

Morgan holstered his gun and walked past Francesca as Blake and Hotch cuffed her and began to drag her out of the house. Rossi stopped them to quickly grab a key from her necklace before nodding for her to be taken away. He unlocked the basement door and slowly descended the stairs to see three of the four boys in there, all of them huddled together on one bed. Rossi put his hand up in a calming manner. "Hello, boys. I know your names. You're called Eric, Martin and Johnny. I'm with the FBI and so are my friends. We're here to take you back to your parents."

"Is the bad lady gone?" Martin said, his voice shaking.

"She gone now. The bad lady can't hurt you any more," Rossi assured them. "The bad lady took another little boy. His name is Spencer. Do you know where he is?"

"She got angry with him because he wouldn't call her Mommy," Eric spoke up. "He's in the cupboard in the wall in the living room."

Morgan turned back and rushed back up the stairs. He went into living room to see a small cupboard in the wall. A key hung from a nail high on the wall. Taking the key, he unlocked the door and gasped at the state of young Spencer Reid. Spencer stared at him with wide eyes and shied away when Morgan tried to reach in and help him. "Spencer, my name is Derek Morgan, I'm with the FBI. I'm here to take you back to your mother, Diana."

Morgan reached in again and began to peel the tape off. It broke his heart when Spencer whimpered as the tape pulled at his chafed and red wrists. Once he finished unwrapping the tape from his hands and legs, Morgan moved to the tape around Spencer's mouth and peeled it away. Spencer let out a small sob and reached his arms out. Morgan picked him up and held him close as they walked out of the house. None of the other boys showed signs of any injuries but Spencer had blood seeping through a bandage on his forehead, bruises around one of his wrists which he knew had happened in the house. JJ walked over and passed him the bear he had brought along as he left the station.

"Hey, Spencer. I brought one your friends here," Morgan smiled. "Don't worry, your daddy doesn't know I have him."

Spencer let out a small smile and gently took the bear into his arms. Even though his intellect was far beyond the normal level for his age, he still loved child like items. JJ came forward and held the bear's arm. "Hello Spencer, my name is JJ. We need to take you to the hospital to make sure that you're okay."

Morgan was surprised when Spencer clutched onto him and buried himself further in his chest. "I don't to go alone."

"Do you want Morgan to go with you?" JJ asked.

Spencer nodded and held his bear tighter in his arms. JJ gave a small nod to Morgan that sent a message that didn't need to be spoken between them. His job was to stay with Spencer and keep him calm.

* * *

Morgan stayed in the hospital room as the doctor checked Spencer over for injuries. The doctor had stitched up the wound on Spencer's forehead and he had been impressed with how calm Spencer had stayed when having the stitches. The bruises around the young boy's wrist would heal and the doctor had given him a good bill of health but had recommended a night in the hospital for observation. Francesca had dealt a few injuries to Spencer but there were other injuries that had clearly been healing for some time. Dark bruises littered the little boy's rib and didn't stop there. Spencer's cheek was bruised too and Morgan knew that William was responsible for the abuse.

The doctor left the room to speak with social services. There was no way in hell that Morgan was about to let Spencer go back to his abusive father. The rest of the team was dealing with Francesca and were helping take care of the other boys. He walked over to the bed as Spencer sat up. Morgan picked up the brown teddy bear and handed it over. "What's his name?"

"Einstein," Spencer answered. "When can I see my mommy?"

"You'll see her soon but we just need to sort a few things out. Spencer, why did the lady who took you put you in that cupboard?"

Spencer stared up at Morgan with his deep brown eyes. "I refused to call her mommy. I only have one mommy and I wasn't going to dishonour her by calling another woman mommy. She shoved me in the cupboard and I hit my head. When she brought me out, she got angry again because I still wouldn't call her mommy. I tried to get out of the door but she used something to send me back to sleep. When I woke up, I couldn't move. I don't want to talk about it any more."

"Miss Poe told me about how smart you are. She wants to come and see you before you leave the hospital."

"Is she okay?"

"The bad lady hit her but she's fine and will be recommending books in no time," Morgan assured him. "Spencer, I found your journal."

Spencer squeezed Einstein tighter. "No-one is supposed to see that."

"I know you're smart and I know that you understand that you might not be going home because of your father. He's hurting you and your mother. We can't allow you to go back to a place where you're being hurt."

"I'm not going into foster care," Spencer shook his head. "He'll-"

Spencer stopped and bit his lower lip.

"You need to talk about what your father has done to you."

"He'll hurt my mommy," Spencer began to cry. Morgan moved up the edge of the bed and put his arm around Spencer. Two small arms wrapped as far as they could around his chest and hugged him tightly. He held Spencer and listened as the truth came out through tears. "He'll hurt my mommy and I can't let that happen. Foster care isn't always a good place."

Morgan wanted to say it wasn't true but he had seen some foster homes and had chased unsubs that had come from them. Most provided support for children but he knew there were a few that didn't care for the children properly. Morgan went to speak but didn't get the chance as William Reid's voice boomed from outside the door.

"Where is my son?!"

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	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone, here is the next chapter for you all. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I am nervous about this chapter but I loved writing it. There are some upsetting moments in this. Sorry for delay in getting this chapter out. Enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you all. Oh, and for those who read Vigilante. I'm posting the next chapter tomorrow along with some other updates. I've put a rush on it after all the reviews I got. **

**Thank you for all the reviews. You're absolutely wonderful and they really gave me a boost in the week. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

Spencer let out a small whimper before bringing the blankets over his body to try to hide from the world and from his father. Morgan gently stroked his hand over Spencer's head. "Hey, he's not coming in here. I promise that you're safe in here."

Morgan passed him the teddy bear and brought the blankets back over him. "You just rest here. I'll send him away and then we'll get you some jello."

Walking out of the room, Morgan prepared himself for a fight. He closed the door behind him and walked over to William Reid. Diana Reid stood behind him with her entire body tensed up with fear. "Mr Reid, I thought the situation was explained to you."

"I want to see my son, Agent. How long does he have to stay in the hospital?" William demanded.

"Social services is coming to speak with you. Spencer is showing signs of abuse and it's clear that some of it was inflicted before his abduction. You are not to have any contact with him till a full investigation has been made."

"This is outrageous!" William fumed angrily as he pulled out his phone. "You have no right to keep our son away from us. I'll be calling social services and giving them a taste of what happens when you get in my way."

Diana stayed in front of Morgan as her husband stormed off. She quickly wiped away a stray tear that travelled down her cheek. She looked into Morgan's eyes. "Is Spencer safe? Did that woman hurt him?"

"He has a few bruises and a cut to his forehead but he's safe," he assured her. "I'm sorry but we know what William has done to him and what he's doing to you, Mrs Reid."

Diana closed her eyes and brought out some pictures from her pocket. Her thumb stroked over them as she began to spoke shakily. "Spencer is the most important thing in the world to me. I'm a terrible mother."

"Not according to your son," Morgan tried to soothe. "How long will your husband be gone?"

"At least ten minutes," she answered. "He has contacts, Agent. He'll do whatever he can to keep our son in his grip. Spencer deserves so much more than I can ever give."

Morgan walked forward and gently took her hand, he led her into the room and signalled the doctor that it was okay he was bringing her inside the room.

* * *

Diana walked over to the bed and immediately began to cry at the sight of her son cowering under the blankets. "Spencer, it's mommy."

Spencer quickly rose up and let out a small sob as he saw her. Diana swooped him up from the bed and into her arms. "Mommy, I missed you."

"I missed you too," she smiled before kissing his cheek and holding him close to her. "Oh, I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you. Did that woman hurt you?"

"She wanted me to call her mommy but I wouldn't. You're my mommy and no-one else can make me call them mommy. She was mean to me but I could take it. I love you, mommy."

"I love you too, my little wonder," she said gently before kissing his head and stroking her hand through his hair. They stayed silent and just stayed holding each other for a few minutes. As she brought him away from her and sat him on the edge of the bed, she made a decision that would change Spencer's life. She knelt in front of him and stroked some of his brown hair away from his face. "Spencer, I need you to be a brave little boy for me. I know that you understand what is happening and I want you to know that I love you and I always will. Till the end of time, I will always love you. You can't come home with me and I think the best place for you is with someone who can take care of you. I'm your mother. It's my job to protect you and not your job to protect me. I can't stand by and watch your father hurt you."

"No, mommy," Spencer began to cry as he clutched at her hands. "I want to go home with you. I can protect you from daddy."

"You're six years old, sweetie. You should be running around and playing with other children. You should have a room full of toys and beautiful things but as long as you stay with your father that will never happen. I can't take another day of seeing him hurt you. Daddy is a very bad man and I swear he will never touch you again. I've been so afraid but I can't let that fear take over any more."

They all jumped when they heard William calling for her. Diana kissed her son's forehead and both his cheeks as tears flowed down her pale cheeks. "I will always love you."

She picked him up and placed him in Morgan's arms. Spencer clung to her sleeve with an iron grip. Diana looked into Morgan's eyes. "Don't let William come near him. Whatever happens to me, promise me that you will take care of him and make sure he's cared for. Please, quickly."

"He'll be cared for, I promise," Morgan replied quickly.

Diana gently brought her son's hand from her sleeve and kissed the back of it. "I'm doing this to keep you safe."

She rushed out of the room and felt her heart break into a thousand pieces as her little boy screamed for her to come back. William began to storm over to her followed by a woman with a badge and clipboard that she assumed was from social services. Grabbing an empty bed pan, she smashed it across William's face when he tried to touch her. He crashed to the floor and clutched the side of his face as blood began to spill from a deep cut to his cheek.

"YOU'RE NEVER TOUCHING HIM AGAIN!"

* * *

Morgan kept a tight hold on Spencer as he still tried to process what had just happened. There was a commotion outside the door but he couldn't see what was happening because he was trying to calm down the child in his arms.

"MOMMY!" Spencer screamed as his face became red and puffy as tears continued to cascade down his face. "Mommy, come back!"

Morgan brought Spencer over to the bed and placed him down on the edge. "Hey, Spencer. Look at me."

"He'll hurt her," the young boy cried. "I have to protect her. Why did she leave me?"

Morgan put his hands on Spencer's small shoulders. "Spencer, your mother wants a good life for you. Like she just said, she will always love you and wants you away from the abuse that your father is inflicting onto you. I promise I will find out what is happening but I need you to calm down. She isn't saying goodbye forever."

"My home is with my mommy," Spencer hiccuped. "I don't want to live with strangers."

"For tonight, your home is in this hospital. Tomorrow, we will have answers. I promise that your mother will stay safe. Shhh, calm down," Morgan soothed as he brought a tissue across the young boy's cheek.

"Please don't leave me alone, Morgan," Spencer whimpered as he struggled to calm himself down. "Everyone leaves and I don't like being alone."

"I'm not going anywhere, little buddy."

* * *

William was escorted to an exam room by a guard while Diana was handcuffed by security and escorted into a private room. Diana stayed at the table she had been placed at and knew she had to deal with the pain her decision had brought into her heart. For nine months, she had carried her son inside of her and felt his strong kicks. William had tolerated the pregnancy but had wanted to wait till his career had improved. His career came to a stand still during her pregnancy and his anger had grown and his drinking wasn't something she was able to stop, especially when he began to hit her. He had almost taken away her precious little boy before she had ever seen his face. Diana remembered the punch to her pregnant stomach and the bleeding that had followed. She had cried the entire way to the hospital thinking that her child was gone. William had stayed at the house to drink and watch television. By some miracle, Spencer had survived and there was no damage to him. It was also the day she had found out she was going to have a little boy. Every time William would shout at her or hit her, she would remember the sound of her little boy's heartbeat coming from the ultrasound and block out the fear and pain with it.

Her mind snapped away from the past as Hotch walked into the room.

"You need to keep my son safe, Agent Hotchner. William hurts him and I don't care what happens to me any more. Just keep Spencer safe, I beg you."

**Please review**


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone, here is the next chapter for you all. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I'm hoping to get everything updated this week but my hands are not being friendly. They keep swelling up. So, Spencer finally finds out who will be taking him in and I promise that there are going to be some great moments ahead. Enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you all. Edit - I put Blake in this and it was meant to say Emily. I accidentally put her name. I have changed it now. Sorry.**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews. You're all so wonderful and amazing. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

Hotch walked over to the table and sat across from Diana Reid. "I need to know everything so I can keep your son safe."

"You have to believe me," Diana explained as tears ran down her cheeks. "I may have schizophrenia but I keep it under control with medication as much as I can. William is a monster to us and especially to my little boy. I never wanted this life for Spencer. He's so smart and he could have so much more."

"Why didn't you leave?"

"I wanted to and one night when Spencer was still a baby, I think William sensed that I wanted to take Spencer and run. He beat me and warned me that if I ever tried to leave with Spencer that he would catch me and lock me in a sanatorium. Not all institutions are good. I know of the places that tie patients to the bed and just leave them drugged up. He said he would declare me mentally unfit and take custody of Spencer. I couldn't let that happen. I can't live without knowing my little boy is safe. I could make William take his anger out on me sometimes too. He punched me in the stomach when I was pregnant and he watched a damn football game when I thought I was having a miscarriage. He wouldn't even drive me to the hospital. I don't know how Spencer survived but it's a miracle he was born healthy."

"How often does he hurt your son?"

"He hits Spencer over the smallest things and if any of his alcohol went missing, he gave us hell. I tried to protect him but I wasn't always able to. William threw me into the bedroom after punching me and locked the door once. I could hear my son screaming as William beat him and I couldn't get out of the room. William unlocked the door and then left the house to go to the bar. I found Spencer crying hysterically in the corner of the bathroom with blood and bruises covering him. William had used his belt on his back and it was a mess. I cleaned my son up and rocked him in my arms for hours. He had just turned five. William did that to Spencer because he had been denied a promotion at work. I know why and it was because of his drinking. His colleagues knew and they didn't want him representing their important cases. I should have tried to run but after he beat me, I was too scared. Spencer has gone through so much and it's all my fault. I can't watch it happen any more. Please, take care of him. I need you to find him a good home where no-one will harm him."

Diana broke down and began to shake. Hotch rose up from his chair and put his arms around her as she cried. She leaned against his shoulder and let it all out.

* * *

**Two hours later**

Morgan looked up at the door as it opened. JJ walked in with a small plastic cup. "Hey, JJ."

"Hey," she smiled. "I heard what happened. How's he doing?"

"He cried himself to sleep and I don't know what is going to happen to him. I spoke with social services and they are struggling to find a foster place for him. He's six years old, JJ, and he's so brave. He wouldn't call his kidnapper Mommy because he's only got one Mommy in the whole world. His mother came in here and said goodbye to him."

"What do you mean?"

"She hit William Reid and she knows he's going to make her pay for it. Before she did that, she came in here and had some final time with her son. He screamed after her and I struggled to stop him from losing control completely. He won't let go of Einstein."

"Einstein?" JJ questioned.

"His bear," Morgan sighed. "I know they are definitely not giving custody of Spencer back to his father. He can't stay with his mother either."

"William has pressed charges and the police took her into custody," JJ said. "He's not going to pay her bail and I think jail might be the safest place for her.. He can't hurt her there."

They both stopped talking as the little boy began to stir in his bed. He opened his eyes and stared at Morgan with his red puffy eyes. He reached out for Morgan. Rising up, Morgan brought him into his arms and held him close. Spencer began to cry into Morgan's chest. "I miss my mommy."

"You'll see her again one day," he tried to soothe before pointing over to JJ. "This is JJ. Do you remember her? She brought your bear over to you. She's one of my best friends."

"I didn't know if you would be awake but I brought you a slushie," JJ smiled gently. She came over and held it out. Spencer took it into his hands and began to sip from the straw. JJ sat on the edge of the bed. "I hope you like the blue ones."

"I like blue," Spencer nodded. " The color blue symbolises stability, loyalty, confidence, intelligence and peace. I've always liked blue."

"I never knew that blue meant that much," JJ smiled.

"My daddy will get me back, Miss JJ. He knows people."

Morgan watched as Spencer leaned against him and continued to drink his slushie. There was so much sadness in Spencer's eyes and Morgan just wanted to assure him that everything would be okay. He stroked his hand through Spencer's hair. "Hey, Spencer. Can JJ look after you for a little while? I'll be back soon, I promise. I just need to go and speak with my boss."

Spencer nodded reluctantly before letting Morgan put him back in the bed. JJ sat on the edge of the bed as Morgan rose up.

"Promise you'll come back," Spencer called with a panicked look in his eyes.

"I promise, kiddo."

Morgan walked out of the room with only one goal on his mind. To keep Spencer safe.

* * *

"You want to do what?" Hotch said in disbelief. "Morgan, you would be taking on a huge responsibility by fostering him and that's even if social services said yes."

"I'll do anything that they want me to and I have a good background along with a good job. My family would help out too. Hotch, god knows where Spencer will go. They've already said that they are struggling to find him a place. I know it's possible for me to become his temporary guardian and I will do whatever needs to be done to give him a good home. I can't watch this child be lost to the system. He deserves a good home and I can give him that. His mother begged for me to make sure he was kept safe and taken care of. I'm not going to let her down."

Hotch wanted to argue the ethics of what Morgan was asking to do but he had spoken with Diana and he had held her as she had cried over losing her son. He knew that Spencer would be safer in Virginia than in Las Vegas and he would be able to pull some strings to allow time off for Morgan to sort everything out. "I'll speak with CPS but I'm not promising anything."

"Please, just ask them. He needs support, safety and to stay with someone he trusts. He trusts me and I don't want him going to somewhere else where he might be abused. He's gone through enough."

* * *

**The Next Afternoon**

Morgan signed the paperwork needed to become Spencer's temporary guardian. CPS had agreed to let Morgan take Spencer to Virginia on the condition that an inspection was made in the next three days at his home to make sure that everything was suitable for Spencer. If he passed the inspection and an interview he would be granted further custody of Spencer as a foster parent. The social worker had called her superiors and explained the circumstances of Spencer's life at home and the danger that was present if Spencer was kept where William Reid could get to him. They had approved him for temporary guardianship after the entire team had given him support and had assured the CPS that Spencer was in the safest hands possible. The social worker had made sure that Spencer was okay with being cared for by Spencer.

"One more signature," the social worker smiled. Morgan placed one last signature on the line and gave her a card with all his contact information if she needed to check up on him but wasn't near the paperwork. "You're all set, Agent Morgan. Virginia Social services will be in contact with you and will come to your home on the designated date in three days. I can't give you a time. I've given your superior Spencer's medical information too. Please, take good care of him. Spencer spoke very highly of you when I asked if he wanted to stay with you. I think he's grown very attached to you."

"He's a good kid and I'll take good care of him," Morgan assured her. "JJ is getting him changed and we got him some new toys too. We also got some things from his home. He kept them hidden and I think they are important to him. My best friend who also works for the FBI is preparing his room for him. I'm expecting a lot of toys on his bed when we get to Virginia. He's safe with me. I know that you'll be speaking with Diana Reid tomorrow. Can you tell her that her son is safe with me? Tell her that Agent Morgan is caring for him."

"I will," she nodded. "Goodbye, Agent Morgan."

Morgan shook her hand and made his way back to Spencer's room. He opened the door to see JJ zipping up the six year old's jacket and giving his bear to him. The new clothes looked great on him and fitted much better than the previous ones did. Spencer rushed over to him and reached his arms up. Morgan swept into his arms and rested him on his hip. "Hey, kiddo. Ready to go?"

"Yes," Spencer said. "I won't be too much trouble, I promise."

"Hey, no talk like that," Morgan sighed. "You don't have to be afraid. I want you to be yourself and have fun like all six year olds should. I have a friend called Garcia and she's my best friend. She knows your coming to stay with me and I already know she's going to spoil you with gifts. She loves colourful things and Doctor Who too."

"I've never watched it, Mr Morgan. I only got to watch TV when daddy passed out"

"Spencer, call me Derek. You can watch TV when you want. Well, before bed time anyway. Let's go."

He went to get the bag with his other hand but JJ beat him to it. "I've got it. You look after little man there."

* * *

Morgan looked out of the window as the jet travelled back to Virginia. The rest of the team kept their eyes on the small couch area where Spencer slept peacefully on a pillow with a blanket covering him and keeping him warm. Einstein laid next to him with the blanket covering him too.

"He's adorable," Emily said as she came over.

"He's strong," Morgan sighed. "I just couldn't leave him. Hotch has given me some leave to sort everything out. I haven't had any time off this year. . I just can't explain it. There is a connection there that I can't explain. Diana can sleep peacefully knowing her son is being taken care of "

"That's all any mother wants," Emily said thoughtfully. "She wants her child safe and protected."

Morgan looked at Spencer and smiled. "Garcia is going to adore him."

**Please review**

**I also ask that as this is a fanfic, you suspend belief if the social worker and CPS things aren't correct. Thanks!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everyone, here is the next chapter for you all. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Okay, so I must apologise for a delay in updating my stories but I hurt my shoulder last week, I somehow trapped a nerve and typing was easy as I couldn't hold my shoulder in positions for too long. It's much better now. I have my updating schedule all worked out. Tonight, I am updating this story, Vigilante and Torment of Darkness. I'm updating Bring me home and Life by the numbers tomorrow as I want to add a few more scenes to Bring me home and Autumnamberleaves has sent me chapter six of Life by the numbers but I am still checking it over. I hope this is okay for you. Enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you all.  
**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews, you're all so wonderful and thank you for being patient with me. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

Morgan gave the team a small wave with his free hand as they drove away from his house. They had decided not to overwhelm Spencer when bringing him to his new home. Spencer dozed away on his shoulder as he held him against his chest. He shifted the bags on his shoulder and was happy that the lights were still on as it could only mean that Garcia was still there. Using his key, he unlocked his door and walked in to a wonderful smell. Garcia appeared around the corner and immediately walked over with a look of love on her face. Morgan smiled as she reached up and brushed some hair behind Spencer's ear. "Morgan, he's so adorable. Oh, how could anyone hurt such a cutie?"

"I don't know but no-one is going to hurt him now," Morgan said before Spencer shifted in his arms.

Spencer opened his eyes slowly to see a blonde woman with a flower in her hair and colorful clothing. He rubbed his eyes and leaned up from Morgan's chest. Morgan placed him on his feet and knelt next to him. "Spencer, this is Penelope Garcia. She's my best friend and one of the most wonderful ladies in the world. You're safe with her."

Spencer reached out and touched the flower on her head. He recognised it as a rose. "I know I'm safe," he smiled. "Hello, Miss Garcia."

"Hello, Spencer. You are so cute," she said with a grin. "You can just call me Garcia. Everybody else does. Are you hungry?"

"Yes," he answered.

"I made my famous pasta and meatballs. Let's go get you some dinner. I also made cookies."

"I'm not allowed cookies," Spencer said sadly.

Morgan looked into Spencer's eyes and gently held him by his shoulders. "You are allowed cookies, Spencer. Did your daddy not let you have them?"

Spencer shook his head and tears began to come to the edge of his eyes. "Daddy said he already had a freak for a son and he didn't need me to be fat too. He hurt Mommy when she tried to sneak one to me."

Garcia wrapped her arms around him as he began to cry and gave him a loving hug. "Shhh, don't cry, baby boy. It's okay. You're a wonderful little boy and your daddy can't ever hurt you again. You can have cookies whenever you want. You're not a freak. I know that you're a genius and trust me when I say that genius's are beautiful and extraordinary. You're safe here."

She came away from the hug and wiped away the tears from his cheeks. "Let's get you some dinner and some cookies. You can watch Morgan miss his mouth when he's eating."

Spencer giggled and held Garcia's hand as they made their way to the kitchen.

* * *

Morgan followed Garcia as she held Spencer in her arms as they made their way up the stairs to his room. She walked over to the door and pushed it open to reveal every six year old's heaven. An assortment of bears filled the bed and the window seal while toys filled the shelves along with books galore. Garcia had chosen a space theme for the room and the bed covers had constellations and planets on them. Spencer looked around the room in awe.

"I hope you like it," Garcia said nervously.

"It's too much," Spencer bit his lip. "I didn't do anything to deserve the toys or bears."

"You're a polite and beautiful little boy," she said as she picked up a bear and brought it up to him. "You've had rough time and I wanted to give you a room that makes you feel safe and that you can really enjoy. This room is your haven. There are also art supplies in the box over there with notebooks, plain paper and canvases. You can be as creative as you want."

Spencer hugged her tightly and she hugged him back. He came away and touched her silky blonde hair. "Thank you, Garcia. You're the best."

Morgan couldn't help the grin on his lips. He knew that Spencer would love Garcia and it always amazed him at how great Garcia was with children. Garcia walked over to another chest with draws and pulled them out. They were all filled with new clothes and pyjamas. "It's nearly your bedtime. Pick out some pyjamas and then we can watch a little TV or read a book before you go to sleep."

"Can Morgan help me get changed?" Spencer asked. He didn't want Garcia to see the bruises on his ribs or the welts and scars on his back.

"Come here, buddy," Morgan said. "We'll get your teeth washed and then we'll get you changed. What PJ's do you want to wear?"

Walking to the drawer, he picked up some pyjamas with Transformers on them. "Good choice," Garcia smiled.

* * *

Morgan closed the book he had been reading to Spencer and brought the child duvet up a little. Snuggled on the pillow with Einstein in his arms and other bears around him was Spencer. Carefully, he rose up and turned on the night light. Morgan leaned down and kissed Spencer on the forehead. "Sleep tight, kiddo."

He closed the door but left it open a fraction in case anything happened. Garcia greeted him downstairs. "He's been through too much," she sighed.

"His father is a bastard," Morgan shook his head. "I don't understand how he could beat Spencer and Diana. I can't explain why I couldn't leave him there. He trusts me and I want to give him a nice home. Diana knows her son is safe here."

"He brings out your fatherly side," Garcia said as she pulled on her coat. "Do you want my best advice?"

"Of course," he said.

"Don't let that little boy go for a second," she smiled before giving him a small hug. "Call me if you need anything at all."

* * *

Morgan woke up suddenly as a shriek came from Spencer's room. He rushed out of the room to find Spencer upright with his eyes wide and tears streaming down his face. He brought Spencer into his arms and tried to calm him down. "Spencer, you're okay. Did you have a nightmare?"

Spencer nodded and buried himself into Morgan's chest. "Was it about your daddy?"

"He got mad at me because I knocked over a glass," Spencer explained as he tried to calm down. "Daddy doesn't like spending money. He said I was a useless little boy and all I did was cost him money. He hit me a few times before throwing me out of the house. I wasn't allowed back till the morning."

"You were alone all night?" Morgan said as he struggled to stop the anger bubbling inside as he thought about Spencer fending for himself. "Where did you go? How often did this happen?"

"He would only throw me out of the house if it was about money. If it was early enough, I went to the library and Miss Poe would look after me but I couldn't get in her trouble so I always said that daddy was waiting outside. I would always go to the park and sleep inside the play but sometimes it was scary. Bad men some times came there and I had to hide sometimes. It was really cold. Mommy was locked in her room and every time I came home, she was crying. Daddy hurt her. He's going to hurt for what she did."

"He won't do anything to her. She's safe where she is right now and social services is going to help her find somewhere safe when she gets out. Your mother wants you safe and I intend to keep you safe. Do you think you could get back to sleep?"

"Can you read to me again?" Spencer asked as he wiped his eyes. "Mommy says that the best way to appreciate books are for someone to read them to you. I think I get my intelligence from her. She's so smart."

"I'll read to you," Morgan said before going over to the bookshelf. "What do you want me to read to you?"

"Lord of the rings, please."

* * *

Morgan yawned as he poured himself a cup of coffee. Spencer was sitting in front of the television and watching Saturday morning cartoons after eating a bowl of cereal. Garcia had stocked up the kitchen with food suitable for a six year old and Morgan knew that she was angel. The little boy had wanted to wash up in return for watching television but Morgan had told him to just enjoy his cartoons.

He pulled out his phone and dialled his mother in Chicago. Walking into the kitchen, he waited for her to answer.

"Hello," his mother answered.

"Hey, Mom, it's me," Morgan said. "How are you?"

"Derek!" Fran said happily. "Oh, I am so happy to hear from you. I'm fine, sweetheart. How are you?"

"I'm good, Mom. I was actually calling to ask for some help. It wouldn't be forever that I would need your help but I've made a big decision and I just need to sort out a long term plan."

"What kind of help do you need?" Fran questioned. "Derek, you're not in trouble, are you?"

"No, Mom. I'm fostering a little boy called Spencer and hopefully it will be long term after CPS make their inspection in the next few days. I was wondering if you could come to Virginia and help me look after him till I can sort out a better schedule at work and with Spencer's education. He's six years old but amazingly mature and smart. He has an IQ of 187. If you can't, I completely understand. I just wanted to ask."

"Oh, Derek, I'll be there tomorrow to help you," she said down the phone. "I was not made for retirement. I'd love to come and stay with you for a while. I can't wait to meet him. Let me just sort out a few things here and I'll catch a flight out tonight. I'm so excited."

Morgan let out a small chuckle. "Thanks, Mom. You're the best."

**Please review**

**Savannah isn't in this story. Let's face it people, Morgan belongs with Garcia!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everyone, here is the next chapter for you all. Sorry for the delay but as mentioned in my other update yesterday, I haven't been very well and have been doped up with cold medicine for the last few days. I really hope you enjoy this chapter and things are going to take a dangerous turn in this chapter as you will all see. This is set in an AU so yes, I know that you all have to suspend your belief in how the social services work but let's just say they work a little differently in this universe. Enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you all.**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews, you're absolutely wonderful and I just want to twirl you all around. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

Morgan walked down the path of the park near his home with Spencer holding his hand. JJ was meeting him with Henry and they were going to introduce Spencer and Henry to each other, hoping that they were able to play together for a while. He looked down at Spencer and loved the outfit that Garcia had set out the night before. Spencer looked like a mini rock star. He was wearing small blue converses with a pair of jeans, a small t-shirt with the doctor who Tardis on and a small vest over the top. Morgan had a jacket for the young boy if he needed one. Spencer jumped as two dogs barked and he leaned against Morgan. "Hey, Spencer. They're on leads, they can't hurt you. We're almost at the park."

"Dogs don't like me," Spencer said before biting his lip nervously. "What if Henry doesn't like me? I've never played with someone my age."

"Really?" Morgan said.

"The other kids would bully me and called me a freak for being smart," Spencer sighed shakily.

"Henry is a wonderful little boy and I know that you two will get on well. He's very good at art. You could bond over that. I want you to have fun today and I'll be here with JJ if you need us. Garcia will be joining us a little later too. Then tonight, my mother is coming to stay for a little while. She's going to help me take care of you. I will be with you as much I can while you're in my care but I need to sort out a long term plan for us and my mother is going to help me do that. She's the best and you'll love her cooking."

"You're kind and awesome which means she raised you to be kind and awesome," Spencer smiled. "I'm looking forward to meeting her."

Morgan couldn't help but grin at Spencer's words. "She's going to love you."

They came to a park where JJ and Henry were sitting on the bench. He walked over with Spencer and watched as Henry looked at him. JJ looked to her son. "Henry, this is Spencer and he's going to be staying with Morgan from now on. He's a bit nervous and I want you to be very nice to him."

"Hello, Henry," Spencer smiled timidly. "It's nice to meet you."

"It's nice to meet you too," Henry grinned. "Do you play soccer?"

"No," Spencer shook his head. "No-one ever wanted to play with me."

Henry delved into a bag that JJ had brought and held a soccer ball under his arm. "Wanna play?"

"Okay," Spencer nodded before Henry took his hand and ran with him over to a clear area. Morgan and JJ watched as Henry put the ball down and kicked it to Spencer. Looking down, Spencer took a deep breath and kicked back the ball as best as he could. A smile came to his face as Henry ran to stop the ball and kicked it back. Morgan and JJ both sat down on the bench as they watched Henry and Spencer play happily. Morgan was happy to see Spencer beginning to grin and laugh as he kicked the ball.

"I told Henry that Spencer had bruises because of an accident and that he shouldn't say anything about Spencer's parents. Henry understood. He's just happy to have a new friend to play with."

"He had a nightmare last night," Morgan said. "I heard him let out a shriek and I rushed to find him crying. He said he had a nightmare about his father getting angry. William hit his own son over breaking a glass then threw him out of the house for a whole night to fend for himself. Spencer said that it happened more than once and he would go to local park and sleep in the play area. He would hide when bad men came to the park."

"He's a six year old boy and he was left alone outside to fend for himself," JJ gasped before shaking her head. "How did no-one see this earlier? It's a miracle he's still alive. I don't understand how anyone could hurt such a sweet little boy. He's having fun playing with Henry."

"He said the other kids back in Vegas would bully him and call him a freak," Morgan explained. "It takes a strong kid to survive what he's gone through."

Spencer fell over causing Morgan to rise up from the bench. He was about to rush over when Spencer climbed to his feet and waved to him. "I'm okay, Morgan."

JJ couldn't help but smile at Morgan's reaction. "I think someone has brought out your fatherly instincts."

* * *

**Later that night**

Morgan opened the door and brought his arms around his mother. He almost lifted her up from the floor. "I'm so happy to see you, Mom. Come in, I'll bring your bags in."

Fran entered the house as Morgan brought her bags in and put them by the door. He came up and kissed her on the cheek. "You look wonderful."

"Thank you, Derek. Oh, look at you. It's been far too long since I've seen you. Where is he? Where is the little boy that has captured your heart?" she said with excitement.

"Napping on the couch at the moment," Morgan said before walking to the living room and pointing to the couch. "He's had a busy day at the park. This is Spencer."

Fran walked over and noticed the bruises on Spencer's face. "How did these happen?"

"His father hit him and the other one is from his kidnapping. He's been through so much and I'm amazed at how strong he is for a six year old. I'll explain everything later but I don't see any reason for social services not to let him stay. I know that I'm a single man and that my job is a high risk one but I don't plan on going anywhere till I'm a very old man and all I want to do is give him a good home. A safe home."

"I will stay as long as you need me," Fran smiled at him before stroking her hand through Spencer's hair. "He's absolutely adorable."

"Morgan," Spencer moaned as he woke up. He moved away from Fran's touch suddenly and Morgan quickly knelt next to his mother.

"Hey, buddy, this is my Mom. You don't have to be scared of her. Sorry we startled you."

"I'm sorry," Spencer said as he rubbed his eyes. "I was just a little surprised."

"Hello, Spencer," Fran beamed happily. "You can call me Fran. I'm sorry if I woke you up. I heard you had a very busy day at the park today."

"I did."

"Have you had dinner yet? I'm starving and I bet I could whip up something out of my famous cookbook."

"Can I help?" he asked. "Morgan doesn't let me do anything and I really want to because he's been so nice."

"You can help me," Fran smiled. "However, how about we make it a cooking lesson? I hear you love to learn."

Spencer rose up and nodded his head quickly. "I love to learn."

"Let's go and get cooking then," Fran said before swooping him into her arms. Spencer giggled as he was rested on her hip. "Well, Spencer, I think you might be a better student than Derek here. He's very impatient when it comes it waiting for a cake to bake."

"It shouldn't smell so nice when it's baking," Morgan smirked.

* * *

Morgan watched Spencer and his mother from the table as he began planning out his time off from work. They had finished a lovely dinner and Spencer was now helping to make a cake with Fran. He noticed the way his mother smiled as Spencer stirred the cake mixture with both hands on the wooden spoon. It was no secret that his mother longed for grandchildren and Morgan knew that spending time with Spencer was making her remember how much she wanted them. Part of him wondered if he was getting ahead of himself. Was he rushing everything? CPS had still not made their inspection and he had no idea if he would be allowed to keep Spencer for a long time. William and Diana still had rights to Spencer and if Diana was able to get well again and escape her husband, Morgan knew that Spencer would want to go back to his mother. He looked down at the paperwork in front of him. He was planning Spencer's future with him in Virginia when he didn't really know how long that might last.

* * *

Diana was confused as her cell opened. "What's going on?"

"Charges against you have been dropped, Mrs Reid," the guard explained. "You're free to go. Just collect your belongings at the front desk."

Diana stepped out of her cell and was escorted to the front desk where she signed everything and collected the few belongings she had come in with. She only had one photo with her. She had given the others to Agent Hotchner to give to her son. Her heart ached as she thought about her son. She was happy that he was being cared for by Agent Morgan. Her little boy was safe and that was all that mattered. As she left the station, she began to walk down the path in the dark. She wrapped her coat around her and wondered where she was even going to go. She couldn't go home.

She yelped as a hand grabbed her upper arm and threw her into a secluded alley. Falling to the floor, she looked up to see William with one of his friends. Diana stumbled to her feet and backed away. "Get away from me, William."

"You stupid cow," William seethed. "You have lied about everything and ruined my reputation and this family. Where is Spencer?"

"He's out of your reach," Diana snapped. "I will never let you touch him again. You never cared about him. You beat him and you made him so afraid. He's safe now and you'll never see him again."

William rushed forward and delivered a brutal punch to her stomach. She fell to her knees before gasping as he grabbed her hair. "He's my son and I want him back. People don't take things away from me without my permission. I can do this all night, darling. Tell me where Spencer is and this won't need to be too unpleasant for you. I promise I'll make your punishment easy if you tell me where he is."

Diana shook her head. "Go to hell, you son of a bitch."

"Wrong answer," William growled before raising his fist.

**Please review**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, everyon_e. _Here is the next chapter for you all. I hope you really enjoy this chapter. I'm still not sure about what is going to happen with Diana. I'm not sure if she's going to live or die yet. William is far from done but I promise there are some great moments coming up soon. I'm also doing much better after my flu. Anyway, enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you all.  
**

**Thank you for the wonderful reviews and the great response that you've given this story. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

Morgan stopped in his tracks as he walked past Spencer's room. He grinned as he saw his mother sitting on the bed with one arm around Spencer and her other arm in front of her with her hand holding Lord of the Rings. Warmth spread through his heart as he remembered the nights she would sit with him and read to him till he fell asleep. Within a minute of him watching, he saw Spencer fall asleep against his mother. He walked in quietly as she rose up from the bed and pulled the duvet up to keep Spencer warm. "Goodnight, little angel."

Fran took her son's hand and led him out of the room. They turned the night light on and turned off the big light before leaving the door open a small amount. They walked downstairs where she let out a happy sigh. "That little boy is just wonderful."

"I know," Morgan said as they walked into the kitchen. Morgan began making his mother a cup of tea as she sat down on a stool. "Mom, do you think that I've rushed into this?"

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Mom, I'm planning all these long term things for Spencer when I have no idea how long he'll be allowed to stay with me. I have no doubt that they'll let me look after him after their inspection but I don't know what will happen after that. Diana still has rights to her son and so does William although CPS would have to be insane to ever let William Reid have a child. I love having him here and I don't know what it is but I would do anything to keep him safe and I don't want to lose him. If CPS deemed Diana fit to care for him then Spencer would want to go back to his mother and I won't keep him from her. I want to care for him as long as I can. I'm just afraid of rushing into things. I'm looking into enrolling him at a local school after the inspection."

"Derek, that little boy adores you and I think that you should stop thinking about how long he might be with you and focus on the fact that he's with you now. From what you've told me about his parents, it will be a long time before anything happens. He's safe with you and that's all that matters. You've become Spencer's support and he's captured your heart. The fatherly part of yourself has come out and that is a wonderful. Don't be afraid of this. Embrace this part of yourself and give that boy everything he could need. I'm here for as long as you need."

Putting down the mug in his hand, he walked over and wrapped his arms around her. "You always know the right thing to say. Thanks, Mom."

Fran hugged her son back. "Mothers always do."

Morgan came away from the hug as his phone began to ring. He picked it up and answered it. "Hello."

Fran noticed the smile immediately drop from her son's face. His features warped into ones of anger. "Derek, what's wrong?"

* * *

William Reid washed the blood from his knuckles and became frustrated at the lack of co-operation from his wife. No matter how hard he had hit her, she had refused to give up their son's location and he had made her pay dearly for that. He didn't care if she died in the alley. Spencer was his son and no-one took his property. He walked out into his friend's kitchen and accepted the whiskey handed to him.

"What's next, William?"

"Rest for tonight and then I'm going to make some calls and pay a visit to that social worker. Diana wouldn't tell me where my son is but I'll make sure the other bitch does."

* * *

Rossi and Emily caught the first flight they could to Las Vegas. Diana was still undergoing some surgery and they were sure that William was responsible for putting her into the hospital. Morgan had called them and they had volunteered to go to Vegas to help Diana and to sort out the reason behind her being left so vulnerable after being released from jail. She had been found barely alive in an alley not far from the jail.

"Do they think she'll make it?" Emily asked as their flight neared Vegas.

"They couldn't say. They are just trying to save her. The nurse said that she's lost a lot of blood," Rossi said before clenching his fist. "They were supposed to keep her safe."

* * *

Morgan could barely sleep as he thought about Diana. His mother had gone to bed but he heard her shuffling around. He swore that the moment he got his hands on William, he would rip him to shreds and make him pay for what he had done. Emily and Rossi were going to call him with an update when they had one. The safest place for Spencer was in Virginia and he had to stay to protect him. A creak from his door caught his attention. Morgan turned on his lamp and looked to the door to see Spencer hugging his bear and crying. Rushing out of bed, Morgan brought him into his arms and held him close to his chest. "Hey, it's okay. Did you have a nightmare?"

Spencer remained silent but nodded his head. Morgan saw his mother appear at the door. "Is he okay?"

"A nightmare," Morgan sighed. "It's okay, Spencer, your father can't hurt you again. I won't let him."

"Grammy," Spencer sniffed before reaching for Fran. In one swift moment, Fran brought Spencer into her arms and began making soothing sounds. Morgan was surprised at Spencer calling her Grammy. He could see the joy in his mother's eyes after being called Grammy. Fran kissed Spencer's head and rubbed soothing circles on his back. "Derek, I've got him. Try to get some sleep and focus on you know what."

"Thanks, Mom," he said before looking at Spencer. "You're safe here. Grammy will help Einstein and you get to sleep again."

* * *

Fran carried Spencer into his room and sat on the bed. He let go of her but leaned against her as the tears still came down his cheek. "Spencer, what's wrong? What happened in your nightmare?"

"My daddy was drunk and he is mean when he gets drunk. I hid under the bed but he found me and started to hit me with his belt. He pinned me down on the bed and hit his belt against my back. I didn't do anything wrong and he didn't stop when I screamed."

"Oh, Spencer," Fran said sadly as she held him close. "Grammy won't let anyone touch or hurt you ever. I promise."

"Am I allowed to call you Grammy?" he asked timidly.

"Absolutely," she smiled.

"It's just," he began to before biting his lip. "I never had grandparents. They died before I was born. You're Derek's Mom and you're exactly how I imagine grandma's to be. You're kind and we baked cookies together. I like calling you Grammy."

"You can call me Grammy till the end of time," Fran beamed happily. "Tomorrow, I'm going to teach you how to make brownies. How does that sound?"

"Awesome," Spencer giggled. "I know I haven't known you long but I know that I trust you because you raised Morgan and he's a kind and awesome man. You're a good mommy to him."

Fran hugged Spencer close. "Oh, you know how to melt Grammy's heart."

* * *

**A few hours later**

Emily and Rossi looked into Diana Reid's room and both knew that the situation with William Reid was far from over. They watched as the ventilator wheezed away and kept her alive. The doctor had saved her life but it wasn't known if she would survive the next 24 hours. She had suffered internal bleeding, four broken ribs, bruising to her kidney, a broken leg, a broken arm and bruises covering most of her body. Her face was swollen and she was barely recognisable. The swelling to her brain along with her fractured skull had put her into a coma and the doctors were working on bringing it down. They were both amazed at how she had even survived such a brutal attack.

Everyone was looking for William Reid and an investigation was being launched into finding how the hell Diana had been left so open to be attacked. Rossi brought out his cellphone. "I'll call Morgan and give him an update."

"William is going to go after Spencer next," Emily said. "Rossi, anyone connected with Spencer's case is in danger. Morgan needs to keep Spencer guarded till we can find this abusive son of a bitch."

* * *

**Morning**

Fran helped Spencer tie his laces before taking his hand and walking out of the house. Morgan followed after them and locked the door behind him. He wasn't going to tell Spencer anything until he knew Diana's condition and until he found the words to even explain to a six year old boy that his father had brutally beaten his mother. They walked down to the local park. Morgan sat on the bench as he watched his mother lift Spencer onto the play set. Spencer let out a large giggle as he slid down the slide. He reached up him arms. "Again!"

Morgan wasn't going to let anything happen to Spencer and knew he had to stay strong for the little boy that had captured his heart.

**Please review**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone, here is the next chapter for you all I hope you enjoy it. This is where things are going to get interesting for Spencer. There will be an epic scene in the next chapter which I hope is going to make you all really happy. I love writing this story and I love the amazing response that you've all given this. Enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you all.**

**Thank you so much for all the fantastic and uplifting reviews. I'm loving the hate you all have for William Reid. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

**Later that day**

Morgan looked away from the television as a knock came at his door. He rose up from the couch and answered the door to see a young woman standing there. "Hello, Mr Morgan. I'm Joyce Griffin from Child Protective Services. I'm here for the inspection."

"Of course," Morgan smiled as he stepped aside. "Shall we speak in the kitchen? Spencer is watching some cartoons with my mother."

They made their way past the living room and into the kitchen where Morgan closed the door to make sure Spencer didn't hear anything. "I need to ask this but, have the CPS been notified about what is happening in Las Vegas regarding Spencer's mother?"

"We have," Joyce answered. "It's very disturbing but we needed to continue with the investigation to ensure Spencer's safety. I understand that the police are looking for William Reid as he is the main suspect in Diana's attack."

"Spencer is safe here. I can promise you that he is safe here. I'm an FBI agent and I'm not leaving Spencer's side till William is captured and thrown into jail for what he's done. Please don't say anything about Diana in front of Spencer. He doesn't know."

"Until we know that Diana is going to make it, we would prefer that Spencer not know about what happened, at least, until we can find the right way to tell him. Her doctors are worried about her making it through the next few days. Today, I'm here to check Spencer's living conditions and to make sure that you're able to look after him with your work schedule and that you are financially stable enough to give him what he needs."

"My mother is staying here for as long as I need her. She's retired and is more than happy to look after Spencer when I go back to work. He's calling her Grammy."

"It seems like he has attached himself quite strongly to her," Joyce smiled. "That's wonderful. Good influences are what he needs and that fact he has started to call her Grammy is a very positive sign."

"I have a few more questions and then I'll need to look around the house to make sure it's safe and suitable for Spencer's needs. I'll need to speak with your mother and I'll also need to have a little talk with Spencer in private. After the inspection, I'll give you my final decision."

* * *

Fran glanced at up as Morgan showed the CPS agent around the house. Spencer also watched them and she felt him shake slightly as he leaned further into her. She hugged him close and rubbed his arm soothingly. "Don't worry, Spencer."

"What if she doesn't let me stay?" Spencer whispered. "I like it here with Morgan and you. I don't want to go to a foster home."

"You won't," Fran said calmly. "There is no reason in the world for her to take you away from us. You like it here and we can give you everything that you could ever need. She's just doing her job because she cares about you too."

"Grammy, I'm scared."

"Don't be," Fran soothed before hugging him close. "Grammy is wise, she loves you and she knows that tonight she'll be reading Lord of the Rings to you."

Spencer hugged her tightly and leaned against her. Fran brought him further onto his lap and rocked him as he began to get a little upset. "Don't cry, little genius. You're not going anywhere."

* * *

Morgan watched as Joyce filled out her paperwork with a smile. They made their way back down the stairs and noticed Fran walking around the living room with Spencer crying her arms. Morgan walked over. "What's wrong?"

"I don't want to go to a foster home," Spencer cried as he looked over to Joyce.

Joyce walked over to him. "Spencer, do you really like it here? Do Derek and his mother treat you well?"

Spencer nodded and let out a small hiccup. "Morgan keeps me safe and he treats me well too. He takes me to the park too and he doesn't yell at me if I break something. He's a hero. Grammy makes cookies and she holds me when the nightmares try to hurt me. She doesn't get angry with me for crying. She's my Grammy. I like it here and I don't want to go."

"Spencer, that's all I needed to hear," Joyce said before signing her paperwork and turning to Morgan. "Spencer is now in your temporary custody until further notice. You are his guardian and all the responsibilities for his care are now yours. He's safe here and to remove him would only cause him harm."

She turned to Spencer. "You're not going to a foster home. The best place for you is here with Mr Morgan and his mother."

Spencer signalled to Fran for himself to be lowered to the floor. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he rushed to Joyce and hugged her legs. "Thank you, mam."

Joyce knelt and gave him a small hug. "You're welcome, Spencer. Mr Morgan has all my contact details. If you need anything, just call me. I must be going now."

"Thank you for letting him stay," Morgan said with overwhelming relief. "I'll see you out."

* * *

William let out a huff of frustration as the social worker refused to tell him where Spencer had been sent. He nodded to his friend and enjoyed hearing her muffled scream as the knife was used to slice into her hip. She had already lost a fair amount of blood from her other wounds and he wanted an answer soon. He walked over and pressed down on her broken wrist. "Bitch, this will end when you tell me where my son is. No-one takes what is mine! Tell me or my friend will do so much worse than slice into that pretty skin of yours."

William's friend grabbed her hand and pressed the knife down on one of her fingers.

"VIRGINIA WITH THE AGENT!" She screamed before breaking down in tears. "Please, stop. I'm begging you."

William grabbed her head and smashed it into the floor. Her body became limp as she became unconscious. "We need to move quickly," William said as wiped blood off his hand.

* * *

Emily stayed by Diana Reid's side. Rossi was working with the local police to try to track down William. Diana was barely recognisable and the only thing keeping her alive were the machines around her. The ventilator wheezed away with the heart monitor sounding away with it. Emily held Diana's hand. "He's safe, Diana. I don't know if you can hear me but I want you to know that Spencer is safe with Morgan. William won't touch him, I promise."

* * *

Spencer giggled as Morgan chased him around the backyard. He let out a squeal as Morgan caught him and twirled him around. He was dizzy when Morgan put him back on the ground and only managed two shaky steps before he stumbled. "I'm sorry, kiddo, I should have waited till you were a little less dizzy to put you down."

Morgan picked Spencer up and rested him on his hips. "I don't know about you but I need a cold drink."

"Yes please," Spencer grinned as he was carried inside and put on a stool. Morgan pulled out some orange juice and poured it into a glass and a kid's bottle for Spencer. He added ice and pushed it over to the six year old. Spencer picked up the bottle and enjoyed the cold drink. "Where's Grammy?"

"Just unpacking a few of her things," Morgan said. "Spencer, I want to ask you something. You're going to be staying here for a while and I wondered if you wanted to go to school."

Spencer put down his bottle and bit his lip nervously. "I don't like school. Kids bully me when they find out I'm smart and I get bored with the work. It isn't challenging. At my last school, the kids threw rotten fruit at me and laughed. Daddy laughed when I got home and said at least I looked like what I really was. He said I was garbage."

Morgan walked over to Spencer and knelt in front of him. "I'm sorry. No father should say that to his son. I'm not going to push you into anything that you don't want to do but you need an education."

"I can home school him for now," Fran's voice came from the door. "Sorry, I couldn't help but hear when I came down. It would be a good idea, Derek. We can get work that really challenges him and he won't have to worry about being bullied by other children."

"Will you be able to handle having him home all day?" Morgan asked.

Fran walked over to Spencer and ruffled his hair causing him to let out a chuckle. "Derek, I love spending time with my little genius and we can have lots of fun learning new things. How does that sound, Spencer?"

"Prodigiosus," Spencer exclaimed happily.

Both Morgan and Fran look confused at his use of the word.

"It means amazing in Latin," Spencer explained.

Fran swooped Spencer into her arms and laughed gently. "Oh, I don't know who will be the student and who will be the teacher at this rate."

* * *

Rossi walked up the stairs of the apartment building he had entered. He was checking up on the social worker who had handled Spencer's case. They had been unable to contact her and had missed her at her work after she had come home during her lunch break. He came to the top of the stairs and turned the corner to see the social worker's apartment door ajar. He rushed forward and opened the door to find her beaten and bloody on the floor. He knelt by her side and tried to rouse her. "Kelly! Kelly Norris! Can you hear me?"

Kelly barely opened her swollen eyes and wheezed painfully.

"I'm Agent Rossi. Stay awake for me. Who did this to you?"

"Willlliam," she slurred before sobbing painfully. "I'm soooo sorry. I told himmm where his son isss."

Kelly became limp in his arms. He pulled out his phone and dialled for am ambulance. Kelly's pulse was getting weaker and Rossi didn't know if she was going to make it. "Come on, Kelly. Stay with me."

**Please review**


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey everyone, here is the next chapter for you all. I hope you all enjoy it. I have a particular scene in this chapter which I'm nervous about and you'll all know what it is when you read it. I'm just hoping that it is worth the long wait I've put you through. I'm just having a tough time with my health but I am trying to get updates in good time. I hope you can all bear with me. Vigilante is being updated tomorrow as I'm still checking over it. Enjoy and I look forward to hearing what you all think.  
**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews, you're wonderful and thank you for being so patient. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

Rossi closed his eyes as the paramedics stopped CPR on Kelly Norris. There had been no pulse since a few minutes before the paramedics had arrived. The beating she had received from William had been too severe for her survive. He looked down at his hands and found them covered with her blood. He had tried to resuscitate her himself but he had failed. He brought out his phone and dialled Hotch.

"What have you got, Rossi?"

"Hotch, William Reid knows where his son is. He tortured the social worker. She's dead," Rossi explained quickly. "I tried to save her and so did the paramedics but it was too late. I don't think he's working alone either. The fists bruises are different shapes. He's coming for Spencer. She had been gone for hours from work. I don't know how much of a head start he's had."

"I'll call Morgan and let him know. We'll get him, Rossi. Are you okay?"

"No," Rossi shook his head even though Hotch couldn't see him. "I need you to call Emily and tell her. I need to wash this blood off my hands. Just call Emily and make sure you get this son of a bitch."

* * *

Morgan watched as his mother played a board game with Spencer while listening to Hotch on the phone. "Hotch, I should bring Spencer to the BAU. He'll be safe there."

"We're sending a protective detail over to your house now. Another team has a high level suspect and the directors won't allow Spencer to come here due to safety concerns. Morgan, I don't know how he is travelling or how much of a head start he's had. The paramedics think she had been there for a few hours. She left for lunch and then never came back to work."

"I'll send Spencer and my mother to his room. I don't want them in sight of the son of a bitch if he's managed to get here. Diana said he had connections and he may have used one of them to travel here under the radar."

"Local police are also on the lookout for him," Hotch said down the phone. "I'll be there as soon as I can."

Morgan disconnected the call as Hotch did and looked over to see Spencer giggling happily. He walked into the room with the phone still in his hand. "Mom, how about going with Spencer to his room and watching a movie?"

"We're in the middle of a game," Spencer grinned before finally seeing the look in Morgan's eyes. The grin turned into a frown. Fran stood up and looked at her son.

"What's wrong?" she asked. Spencer walked over to them and looked at both their faces. He recognised the look of fear and worry all too well. He knew something bad had happened.

"Is it about my daddy?" Spencer questioned. "Is my mommy okay?"

Before Morgan could answer, something slammed into his front door followed by a man shouting. "Give us, Spencer!"

"Get Spencer upstairs!" Morgan ordered.

* * *

Fran brought Spencer into her arms and ran up the stairs. Fear came into her heart as she heard her a crash followed by the sounds of her son fighting someone. She went to hide Spencer in her room but knew he might be found. Her eyes quickly spotted the cable to the attic. She put Spencer down and jumped to grab the cable. With a strong pull, she opened it and slid the wooden stairs down. She guided Spencer up the stairs and made sure he was in there securely.

"Spencer, you stay here and you don't come out till Derek or myself comes to get you. Don't make a sound."

Spencer tried to reach for her. She squeezed his hand and pushed him back into the attic. "Don't make a sound. I'll be right back."

Fran heard more crashes as she pushed the stairs back up and jumped again to close the hatch to the attic. A rush of feet came up the stairs. Fran grabbed a vase and smashed it down onto the man's head as he came up the stairs. It only stunned him as he managed to stay on his feet. He rushed at her and tackled her to the floor.

"Where is he? Where is my son?" William yelled as grabbed her jaw and squeezed it. Fran managed to bring her knee up with force into his crotch causing him to groan. Taking her chance, she brought her fist into his nose and heard a satisfying crunch. William howled with pain and fell away from her. Fran scrambled to her feet and rushed into her son's room. She wrapped her hand around the baseball bat her son kept in his closet and turned around to find William staring at her with fury in his eyes and blood pouring down his nose. "You little bitch."

"My husband was a cop and my son is an FBI agent. If you think I don't know how to fight then you're wrong. You'll never touch Spencer again."

"He's my property!"

"He's a little boy and you're a monster!" Fran yelled. William stormed at her but she dodged his attack by rolling over the bed. As he tried to attack her again, she brought the bat up and smashed it across his head. He stumbled before falling to the floor and quickly lost consciousness.

She heard the sound of police shouting downstairs before the sound of her son yelling as he ran up the stairs. "MOM!"

Fran dropped the bat and gasped at the sight of her son. Blood was leaking from his swollen lips and he had cuts and bruises developing on his face. There was a large gash to his arm and it was clear he was in pain. She rushed to him. "Derek, oh my god, what happened?"

Two police officers rushed up the stairs. Fran pointed to the bedroom. "He's unconscious. He attacked me."

"William's friend managed to get in and rush me before I could get to my gun in the kitchen. He was big. Are you okay? Where's Spencer?"

"William surprised me but I fought him off and then hit him in the head with the bat. You and your father taught me well. I'm fine. I need to get to Spencer."

Fran jumped again and managed to grab the cable to the hatch. She opened it, slid the wooden stairs out and climbed into the attic to find Spencer crying in the corner. "Spencer, come here."

Spencer ran over to her and into her arms. He cried into her shoulder as she held him with one arm and used the other to climb down safely. Morgan helped her down the last two steps. Spencer looked up at Morgan and cried harder. "Morgan!"

"I'm okay, buddy," Morgan said even though he was out of breath. "It's just a few bruises. You're safe now. Grammy is fine too."

"Sir, you need to go to the hospital," one of the officer's said as he walked over. "We've secured the scene."

"I think that's a good idea," Morgan nodded as he began to feel woozy.

* * *

**A few hours later**

Fran sat by Morgan's hospital bed as his arm was being stitched up. The doctors had found three fractured ribs, deep bruising all over his chest and over his shoulder. He had a mild concussion which he had tried to brush off as nothing. He had a swollen black eye along with cuts to his face and a cut that required stitches on his lip. She had seen the man whom had attacked her son and he was nearly bigger than Derek. Spencer sat on her lap and leaned back against her with her arms around him protectively. Spencer hugged Einstein close to his chest as he watched the doctor finish the stitches. Garcia and JJ were outside waiting to come in. Hotch had called them and explained how William had managed to get to Virginia so quickly. One of his old clients was extremely wealthy and had arranged for William to use a private plane that he owned. The client had some dark secrets and was being blackmailed by William. Morgan wondered how far William's connections went.

"All done," the doctor smiled as he snipped away at the thread and wrapped a bandage over the stitches. "I'll be back soon. You're staying overnight though for observation. Would you like me to send your friends in?"

"Please," Morgan said before looking over to Spencer. "You okay, Spencer?"

"I'm sorry," Spencer said before hugging Einstein to his chest. "You got hurt protecting me. Daddy hurt Grammy."

"I'm fine," Fran assured him before kissing the top of his head.

"Kiddo, you have nothing to be sorry for. None of this was your fault. Your daddy is a very bad man but he's going to be put in jail for a very long time. He can't hurt you any more. Come over here."

Fran brought Spencer over to the bed and carefully put him on the bed before pressing a button to raise the back of the it up slightly. "Keeping you safe is the most important thing in the world to me. The most important thing is that we're safe now."

Spencer bit his lip as his eyes began to tear up again. "My mommy is hurt, isn't she?"

Morgan was lost for words for a moment before composing himself. "Why would you ask that?"

"You haven't said anything about her and I can feel it inside. I always know when something is wrong with her. What happened to my mommy?"

Morgan sighed and held Spencer's hand. "Something has happened to your mommy. She's going to be asleep for a while but she'll be better soon."

Spencer laid carefully under Morgan's uninjured arm and leaned his head on his chest. Morgan held him close as he began to cry gently into his bear. JJ and Garcia walked into the room to see the scene and both stayed silent as they felt sadness at hearing Spencer's cries. Garcia walked over to the bed and stroked her hand soothingly through the little boy's hair.

Morgan knew that a tough time was ahead but he knew he had to keep Spencer on a good path. He would die before letting anything happen to Spencer.

**Please review**


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey everyone, here is the next chapter for you all and I hope you enjoy it. Okay, so tonight I have a treat for you all. Four updates across the board and I'll be updating another one tomorrow. I wish I could do all five but I've still got to edit the last one and I don't have a lot time to do that right now. I hope you all enjoy that. Just have binge fest of fanfiction. I'm trying my best to bring my updates back to a good pace. I'm so glad you all liked Fran kicking William's ass. Enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you all.  
**

**Thank you again for the wonderful and brilliant reviews. You're the best. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

**The next day**

Morgan's body ached as he sat on the edge of the bed and waited for his discharge papers. Spencer was with Garcia who had taken to him stay at her home till Morgan could clean up the mess in his own home and replace the locks. Hotch had offered to come over and help and Morgan had accepted the help. Fran had wanted to go with Spencer but Morgan knew she needed her rest. JJ had taken her to her home to get some rest. Spencer had been quiet after crying against Morgan for nearly half hour straight and Morgan was fully aware that he needed to keep a close eye on him. He had promised Diana that Spencer would have a nice and safe life. He didn't want him to start to withdraw into himself. Morgan wasn't sure how much more trauma Spencer could take.

* * *

Spencer couldn't sleep as he laid in Garcia's bed. He couldn't stop thinking about his mother and wondered what had happened to her. Would she remember him? Had his father hurt her so much that she would never wake up? He leaned into the pillow and silently let the tears fall. Garcia walked into the room and found him crying "Spencer, come here."

"No," Spencer sniffed. "Everyone I get close to gets hurt."

"That isn't true," she sighed before laying on the bed next to him. "I'll come to you then. Sweetie, it's okay to cry. I just don't want you withdraw from us all. You're a very smart little boy. Your daddy can't hurt anyone ever again. He's going to prison for a very long time. Your mommy is going to sleep for a while but she'll wake up and when she does, she'll want to see you smile."

"No-one can promise that she'll wake up," Spencer shook his head before using his sleeve to wipe his face. "I miss my mommy."

"It's okay to miss your mommy," Garcia soothed as she felt her own heart ache at hearing the pain in the young boy's voice. "How about this. We can record a message and I can send it to Emily who's with your mommy and she can play it to your mommy to make her feel better."

"I'd like that," Spencer nodded before rising up and crawling over the bed to her. Garcia rose up from the bed and brought him into her arms. She kissed the top of his head and rested him on her hip.

"Come on, my little genius. Let's go make a get well message for your mother."

* * *

Emily received a message from Garcia and knew she was going to need a strong heart to listen to the message as she played it for Diana. Placing the phone on its loudest setting, she held it next to Diana and pressed play.

"Hey, Mommy," Spencer's voice came through the speaker. "I know you're sleeping right now and I know it's because of what daddy did. Daddy can't hurt us any more. Grammy Fran and Morgan protected me, Mommy. I miss you so much. I want you to know that I'm safe here with Morgan and Grammy Fran. They stop the nightmares and keep me safe. I have a big room too with lots of toys and lots of books."

Emily heard a sob before Spencer continued speaking with pain and tears leaking into his voice. "I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you. I want to hug you again and hear you read to me. I love you, Mommy. I'll always love you and I want you to wake up so I can see you again. You always told me to be strong and I know the strength I have comes from you. Be strong and I hope you dream about me because I dream about you holding me and singing Bob Dylan songs to me. Please wake up, Mommy. Bye, Mommy, don't forget me."

The message ended there and Emily had to wipe a tear that had escaped from her eye. She knew that Diana loved her son more than anything else in the world and she had almost died protecting his location. The doctors were still struggling with the swelling to her brain and were still unsure if she would survive. There was also the issue of brain damage. They didn't know if she had suffered any brain damage due to unclear readings due to the swelling and they wouldn't fully know till she woke up. If she woke up.

"You here that, Diana, your little boy is safe and William is going to go to prison for the rest of his life. Spencer needs you to wake up and I know that you would do anything in the world for him. I want you to fight for him. I want you to fight and wake up for your son."

* * *

**A few hours later**

Hotch finished cleaning up the broken glass as the locksmith finished replacing the lock on Morgan's front door. The house looked almost normal except for a missing broken table and some shattered photo frames. Fran had joined them with a selection of new toys for Spencer. She focused on making his room more special than ever. Rossi was staying in Vegas with Emily till a plan was made about Diana's care. Moving her to a hospital in Virginia would be the best thing to do but they couldn't do that till Diana was in a stable enough condition. Hotch was steadying himself for the interrogation of William Reid that was in the next few hours. He wanted answers from him and wanted to look William in the eye and tell him that he was going to prison where men like him didn't have the best of times.

They both looked out of the door as Garcia pulled up in her car. Morgan walked to the door as she walked up the steps with Spencer in her arms. He was asleep on her shoulder. "How's he doing?" Morgan asked.

"He recorded a message for his mother and I sent it to Emily for her to play to Diana. He seemed to calm down a little after that. He's exhausted from crying. Bless his little heart," Garcia sighed before walking into the house. Fran came down the stairs and came over to Garcia. Spencer stirred and opened his eyes sluggishly to see Fran.

"Grammy," he said sleepily. Fran brought him into her arms and hugged him close.

"Grammy's got you," Fran soothed. "Let's go upstairs and get you into some PJ's and into bed. You can't get enough sleep in my book."

Spencer rose up sleepily and smiled at Garcia. "Thank you for looking after me. Do you think my Mommy heard me?"

"I do," Garcia smiled before walking over and kissing his forehead. "Go sleep, little prince, and dream good things."

Garcia watched as Fran walked up the stairs with Spencer in her arms. Morgan came over to her and gave her the best hug he could without hurting his ribs. He came away from the hug. "How are you doing, baby girl?"

"Not well," she admitted. "You should have heard his message to his mother. He's upset because he thinks that he could have somehow protected her if he had stayed with her. Morgan, is she going to make it? I heard what the monster did to her. Spencer can't handle losing his mother."

"She's hanging on," Hotch spoke. "They just don't know if she'll make it. Emily said they are working to bring the swelling down to her brain. It's a miracle she survived the attack."

"Then let's hope another miracle happens with her waking up," Garcia said before shaking her head. "William needs to pay for what he's done."

"He will," Hotch promised.

* * *

Morgan walked upstairs after saying goodbye to Hotch and Garcia. He wondered where his mother had gone. It had been over an hour since she had gone to put him to bed. He walked to Spencer's room and smiled warmly at the sight he was met with. His mother had fallen asleep on the bed with Spencer wrapped in her arms and close to her chest. He knew that his mother was going to be important in keeping Spencer from becoming too traumatised.

* * *

Rossi came into Diana's hospital room to find Emily next to the bed. She had dozed off with a paper in her lap. He walked over and gently shook her shoulder. "Emily, it's Rossi."

Emily stirred suddenly and quickly straightened in her seat. "I must have dozed off for a few minutes."

"How is she doing?" Rossi asked.

Emily looked at her watched and brushed her hand through her hair before answering. "I spoke with the doctor about half hour ago. She's responding to treatment and the swelling in her brain is going down. I must have fallen asleep a few minutes after speaking with him. She's fighting, Rossi. Spencer's words got through to her."

"What do you mean?"

"Garcia helped him record a message and I played it to Diana. It made Spencer feel better to send the message and from what I can see, Diana heard her little boy and is fighting for him. Rossi, you look shaken."

"I'm not fine," he nodded. "I just wish I could have saved her. She held out as long as she could but I couldn't save her. Kelly Norris was a good woman. I've had people die in front of me before but I just feel shaken by this. All she knew before she died was pain."

Emily reached out and squeezed his hand. "I'm here and so is the rest of the team. It's okay to feel shaken. If a day passes where we aren't affected by what we see then it's time for us to think about what we've really become. Feeling shaken means we're still human."

"Just stay close," Rossi said shakily. "Stay close."

**Please review**


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey everyone, here is the next chapter which I hope you all enjoy. Sorry for making you all wait again but I hope you enjoy all the updates tonight. I'm trying to get back into a good writing groove but it's proving a little difficult. I have so many ideas but not enough time. Thanks for staying with this story for so long and I'm super nervous about the interrogation scene in this chapter. There will be more scenes with William and the team so never fear. Enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you all.  
**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews. You're all really supportive and wonderous. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

Hotch walked with JJ by his side into the interrogation room and was determined to make sure that William felt powerless. JJ stayed standing to intimidate William. He had had power over women for most of his life but JJ wanted him to know that she was in control. Hotch opened the file as he sat down. "William Reid, you are bring charged with quite a few things. Murder, attempted murder, multiple assaults, child abuse, attempted abduction of a minor and bail jumping although that last one is the least of your problems. You are charged with murder of Kelly Norris, and the attempted murder of your wife, Diana Reid. Why did you kill Kelly Norris? You've declined to have a lawyer present so I want answers."

"Not my fault she died. She should have told me where Spencer was before things got too rough for her to handle."

"How much of the actual torture did you do?" JJ asked as she stepped forward to tower over him. "By the forensics report, it looks like you let your friend do some of it but joined in after a while. Do you enjoy hurting women, William? Are they the only people you can intimidate and hurt? Oh, sorry, I'm mistaken. One of Spencer's carers took you on quite easily."

"You're a know it all bitch, aren't you?" William snapped. "I could show you where you belong if these cuffs weren't on."

"I doubt that," Hotch said with a small smile. "I've met men like you before, William. You think you're going to have the whole world in your hands but your anger and narcissistic personality prevent you from moving anywhere in your career. You take out your frustrations on your family because they are the only ones you feel like you have any power over. You abused your son because he became another mouth to feed and because he became the centre of your wife's world. Tell me, when you punched Diana in the stomach when she was pregnant, were you trying to make her lose her baby?"

William stayed silent and gave his cuffs a small tug.

"Answer me, William," Hotch raised his voice.

"I never wanted that stupid boy," William vented. "I only let her keep the baby because I thought I was going to get the promotion I wanted at work."

"They saw through you though," Hotch said. "You were eager and probably good at your job but they knew something was off with you. They saw how you would drink and they didn't like it. They saw it even more after they passed you over for the promotion, didn't they? You drank heavier because you couldn't handle being passed over. You began to hit your wife and then you punched her in the stomach one night. She told me what happened. She thought she was losing her child and you just sat there and watched a football game."

"The brat survived so I don't understand why it would matter," William shrugged.

"It matters because you tried to kill your son before he was even born. You don't have an emotional attachment to your son so, why go to so much trouble to get him back?"

"He belongs to me and I wanted to show Diana the consequences of telling," he admitted. "Spencer had to pay too. He just had to start blabbing. He's my property."

"He's a child," JJ raised her voice slightly. "Not property. You beat and abused your son because you're a despicable human being. We know about how you would throw him out of the house and leave him to fend for himself all night. We've seen the welts on his back and the scars on the rest of his body. You're going to prison for the rest of your life for everything you've done."

"We'll see about that," William smirked.

"Don't think any of your connections will get you out of this, William. I'm going to track your case every step of the way. There will be no plea bargains and I'm going to make sure every single statement and piece of evidence is taken and put against you. All your files and computers have been confiscated and I suspect most of what you would use to blackmail people is on those computers and in those files. Kelly Norris was a good woman and you murdered her. Your wife is a good woman and she's fighting for her life because of you. Spencer is a wonderful and smart little boy who will never know abuse ever again. Your crimes will not be hidden when you go to prison. Men who beat their children and wives aren't generally in the good books of the other prisoners. You'll be in permanent custody as I highly doubt you'll be getting bail. I'll see you in the courtroom, William."

William stared at Hotch with pure anger radiating from him but stayed silent as JJ and Hotch left the room. JJ closed the door and clenched her hands into fists. "That man is a monster."

"I know how you feel," Hotch sighed. "I don't understand how someone can call their own child property."

"Spencer is safe and that's the most important thing," JJ said. "Diana will hopefully wake up soon and William will pay. Spencer's also got his Grammy looking after him."

"Fran is one tough woman," Hotch grinned. "I can see where Morgan gets his fight from."

* * *

Fran held Spencer's hand as they made their way downstairs for something to eat. They had been awoken by the smell of something cooking. Fran walked into the kitchen to find her son making home-made pizzas. She didn't miss the way he winced getting the pizza from the oven. Letting go of Spencer's hand, she rushed over as soon as he placed the pizza tray down. "Derek, you need to take it easy."

"I'm fine," Morgan shook his head. "I made dinner. Spencer must be hungry."

Spencer walked over in his star wars pyjamas and hugged Morgan's legs. "Don't hurt yourself, Morgan."

Morgan ruffled his hair. "Kid, I'm fine. I've had worse injuries from playing football when I was a teenager. How are you feeling?"

"Sad," Spencer admitted. "I hope my mommy wakes up soon."

Fran picked him up and rested him on her hips. "She'll wake up when her body is healed enough. Your mommy loves you and I bet she would want you to still live your life. You need to smile now so you can give your mommy the perfect smile when you see her again. Tomorrow, we're going to do lots of art. We have all those art supplies from Garcia and we can have lots of fun. What do you think?"

"Art sounds fun," Spencer nodded before leaning against her shoulder. "I love you, Grammy."

Fran was caught off guard for a moment but felt her heart jump a beat. "I love you too, Spencer. Grammy will always love you."

* * *

**The next day**

Fran watched Spencer curiously as he painted a very realistic flower onto the canvas. Most adults she knew didn't have the precision and artistic ability that Spencer was demonstrating. He spent time doing each and every piece of detail. "Spencer, who taught you to paint and draw like this?"

"No-one," Spencer said as he picked up another brush. "I just pick up the brush and I see the picture in my head. Don't you like it, Grammy?"

"I love it," she assured him. "You're an amazing little boy. Don't let anyone ever tell you different."

* * *

Emily finished sending a message to Morgan and Hotch and slid her phone back into her pocket. The swelling to Diana's brain had come down massively and the doctors were now sure she would recover physically. They still had worries about Diana having brain damage but they wouldn't know anything till she woke up. It would still be at least a week before she could safely be moved to Virginia.

"Well done, Diana. Keep on fighting."

* * *

Fran settled Spencer outside in the garden with a book before coming back inside and preparing some cold drinks. She added ice into all of them. It was a beautiful day outside and she planned to take Spencer to a book fair the next day. Morgan came into the room and opened the fridge to get an ice pack. "I didn't know Spencer was so good at art," Morgan said as he pressed the ice pack to his ribs.

"He's so talented," Fran beamed with pride. "He's drawing at a level that most teenagers and adults can't do. We really need to nurture his gifts, Derek. He could go to art school or with his IQ, he could be accepted into any college he wants."

"Mom, aren't you planning a little ahead?"

Fran poured some lemonade into the glasses and shook her head. "Perhaps I am but I don't want to see Spencer failed again. He has amazing gifts which need to be supported. He's a very fragile little boy who needs proper care. Derek, I know deep down that you never want to let him go. I saw you at the hospital. You love that little boy as if he was your own child. I've always known that you've had paternal instincts but they've been in overdrive since Spencer has been here."

"I do care about him. I love him and have since the hospital but I'm being realistic. If his mother gets better and proves she's well enough to take care of him then I have to say goodbye. Diana is a good mother and I would never want to tear them apart. I just don't know what might happen. I want to give him everything he could want or need but I don't know how long he's going to be here. If he's ever ready to go to school again, do I enrol him in one? Do I try to get him into extra curricular clubs when he's ready? Do I let myself get too close?"

"Yes, you get close to him. It will be some time before Diana is in any condition to care for her son physically and we don't even know if the doctors will allow her custody due to her mental illness. I don't know what the future holds but I know it involves you always being part of that little boy's life."

"I hope so," Morgan nodded before adjusting the ice pack on his ribs. "We better go out there. Some fresh air will do us all good."

**Please review**


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey, everyone. Sorry again for the wait but I know you're all understanding about my updates. I've been a bit busy the last few weeks and I'm busy this weekend so I've had to spread out my updates across three days. You have three updates tonight for three stories, then Bring me home and Vigilante will be updated tomorrow and then Give me what I want will be on Sunday. Hope this all okay with you all. Enjoy this chapter and I look forward to hearing from you all.  
**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews. You're wonderful readers and I appreciate you all. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own (might be more than usual as memory is playing me up a little)**

**A few days later**

Spencer giggled happily as Garcia pushed the swing. He was spending the day with her because of his mother. He wasn't supposed to know but he had overheard Morgan talking about her being transferred to a hospital in Virginia and today was the day she arrived. As the wind rushed through his hair, he wondered why everyone tried to keep things from him. Nothing could be worse than the abuse he had suffered at his daddy's hands. He was happy that his mother was coming to be so near to him. All he wanted to do was see her.

The swing slowed as Garcia gently brought it to a stand still. She came to kneel in front of him. "You stopped laughing, did you start to feel sick?"

"I know my mommy is coming home today," he admitted before biting his lip. "I heard Grammy and Morgan talking about it. Don't tell them. I don't want to get in trouble."

"You're not in trouble," she said before brushing some of his hair behind his ears. "You shouldn't eavesdrop on conversations but I can understand the reason you did it. Yes, your mommy is being transferred to a hospital not far from here. She's still sleeping but she's doing a lot better."

"When can I see her?" Spencer asked. "I miss her and I really want to see her."

"Spencer, your mommy still has a lot of bruises and I don't think she would want you to see her like that. I know you're very mature for your age but I don't want you to have a memory of your mother in that state in your memories."

Getting off the swing, Spencer angrily stormed away from Garcia and towards the path. Garcia rushed over to him and grabbed his hand. "Spencer!"

"No," Spencer yelled furiously as he managed to tug his hand out of her grasp. "I want to see my mommy. I may be six but I've seen things that I should never have seen. Daddy beat mommy up because he blamed her if I misbehaved. I never misbehaved. He was just drunk and unhappy because his friends didn't like him. I've seen her with bruises. I just want to see her and it's not fair that you won't let me."

Spencer's eyes watered before he sat on the bench and brought his knees to his chest. Garcia sat next to him as he began to cry. "You all think I'm a baby but I'm not."

Bringing her arms around him, Garcia kissed the top of his head and held him as he let out some of the bottled up pain she knew he had been holding inside. After a minute, Spencer turned and wrapped his arms around her. He continued to cry against her. "It's okay, my little wonder."

"I was a good boy but he still hurt her," Spencer hiccuped as he came out of the hug. Garcia used her thumbs to wipe the tears from his face.

"We know you're not a baby but you're still six years old. You have been through more in your six years of life than many people will ever go through in their entire life. All your life, you've had to try to be an adult but you should never have had to do that. Spencer, your daddy is an evil man and he hurt you. Morgan, Grammy, all of us know you're strong but we see the pain in your eyes sometimes. We just want want to give you good memories from this point on. Your mommy wanted you to have a good life."

"I can handle seeing her, Garcia. The last time I saw her, she said goodbye and then she got taken away. If I see her and talk to her, she might wake up."

Garcia looked into Spencer's eyes and let out a soft smile. "We have to see what Grammy and Morgan say but I think it would be good for you to see your mommy."

"Grammy loves me and so does Morgan," Spencer smiled. "They can't say no when I smile."

Garcia laughed before hugging Spencer close again. "You cheeky monkey. Well, we still have lots of time together and I was thinking that we go to the fair and then we can go to the book store. How does that sound?"

"Awesome," Spencer grinned as Garcia rose up from the bench. He held her hand as they walked down the path.

Garcia looked down at Spencer and tried to imagine what it was like inside of his mind. He could never forget anything and had an understanding of the world beyond his years. He was a beautiful little boy and it broke her heart when she thought about all the pain he had gone through because of William and the pain he may still go through mentally because of his father. She held his hand a little tighter and vowed to give him a wonderful day out. One that would be full of good memories.

* * *

Rossi and Emily had travelled back with Diana using the jet. It wasn't protocol to use the jet in such a way but Rossi had called in a few favours. They both looked at Diana as she was settled into her hospital room. Morgan walked into the room after the nurses had left and saw Diana for the first time since the hospital when she had said goodbye to her son. The bruises covering her body and face still looked viscous and vivid. Bandages covered her too along with a cast around her leg and another cast on her arm. "That son of a bitch."

"He's going to pay," Emily said. "She's doing much better now. They don't know when she'll wake up but the swelling to her brain is gone and they expect a full recovery. All I can say is that she's one hell of a fighter. How's Spencer?"

"Garcia is spending the day with him," Morgan answered. "He's had two nightmares in the last few days. My mom is usually able to calm him down. He loves his Grammy. I actually had a message from her before I came in here. Spencer wants to see his mother. He found out by listening to a conversation I was having with my mother."

"Morgan, that's not a good idea. No child should see their mother like this."

"I know but Garcia said that Spencer is adamant about seeing her and that we need to talk about a few things. I'll talk to him tomorrow and make a decision. He's been doing well. My mom is turning him into a master baker," Morgan said before looking to Rossi. "How you holding up, Rossi?"

"I don't think I'll ever forget what happened but at least William and the bastard who helped him will pay for what they did. Kelly's last words were a warning that William was coming after Spencer. She was a good woman."

"She was," Morgan nodded. "Rossi, come by the house later."

"Why?" Rossi questioned.

"Come and spend some time with Spencer. I think you need to see how much better he is doing."

* * *

**Late Afternoon**

Garcia walked into Morgan's house to find Rossi, Emily, Fran and Morgan all talking in the living room. She placed down her bags. "Hey, you're back."

"Where's Spencer?" Fran frowned.

Before anyone could speak, a large teddy appeared at the entrance to the living room with two small hands holding it up. Spencer became visible when the bear was placed down. Fran let out a small gentle laugh at the face paint on Spencer's face. "Hello, my little tiger."

Spencer rushed to Fran and was happy when she lifted him onto her lap. "Rawr!" Spencer playfully roared. Everyone in the room let out a small playful laugh. Rossi could see the energy and happiness in the boy's eyes.

"Did you have a good day?" Morgan asked.

"We went to the fair and Garcia let me go on so many rides and then we went to the book store where we got some new books. I've got my own copy of Empty planet now."

"Empty planet?" Emily said with a puzzled expression.

"It's hard to explain but it's way ahead of what I was reading at six. Spencer was a very good boy today and even behaved when his sugar rush kicked in."

"Cotton candy is tasty," Spencer giggled.

"Spencer, Rossi and Emily brought your mommy to Virginia today. They've been looking after her while she was in Las Vegas," Morgan spoke.

Before Morgan could say anything else, Spencer climbed off Fran's lap and walked over to Emily and Rossi. He leaned up on his tip toes and gave Emily a hug. "Thank you for looking after my mommy."

Spencer let go of Emily and walked to Rossi. He tried to get high enough to hug Rossi but couldn't reach. Rossi lifted him up onto his lap. Spencer's small arms wrapped around Rossi. "Thank you for looking after my mommy, Rossi."

Rossi wrapped his arms around Spencer and hugged him close. "Your mommy is going to be okay. I think she heard your message when she was asleep."

"Really?"

"She really did," Emily assured the young boy. "Your mommy loves you and she's strong too."

"I get my strength from her," Spencer sighed as he leaned against Rossi. "She always taught me how to be strong against daddy."

* * *

**Later that night**

Morgan was about to make himself a hot drink when his mother came into the room with a warm look in her eyes. "Derek, I'll do that. Your presence has been requested."

"What are you talking about?"

"Spencer would like you to read him his story tonight."

"He usually wants you to do it," Morgan said.

"Well, he wants you to do it. Get your butt moving, mister."

"Yes, Mom," Morgan chuckled before giving her a one armed hug. He travelled up the stairs and into Spencer's room. "Hey, kiddo. Grammy said that you wanted me to read to you tonight."

"Yeah," Spencer nodded before holding up Empty Planet. "Can you read this to me? I've read it before but no-one has ever read it aloud to me. Please."

Morgan took the book from Spencer's hand and sat on the bed. He leaned against the headboard and rested his feet up on the soft covers. Spencer leaned against him and Morgan put his arm around him. "Let's get started."

"Morgan, can I ask you something?" Spencer spoke timidly.

"Of course you can."

Spencer looked up at Morgan. "Can I call you Papa?"

Morgan was taken back by Spencer's words. "Why do you want to call me Papa?"

"My daddy is a bad person and he never took care of me. You've always protected me and I love Grammy and you. You're the Papa that I've always wanted. I'm sorry I asked. I can see I've made you uncomfortable."

"Hey, no, don't think that," Morgan assured him. "Spencer, you can call me Papa."

"Thank you, Papa!" Spencer squealed with joy before hugging Morgan's chest.

**Please review**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey, everyone. Here is the next chapter for you all. Again, sorry for the wait but as I've said before, I can't always promise when my updates will be. I haven't had the best few last weeks but I'm hoping to get my writing groove back soon. Here is another update for you all and I want you all to look out for a lot of updates tonight. The only ones not being updated tonight are Give me what I want, Saving Blood and Dreamwalker but they will be updated by the end of the week as I have a nice weekend to myself. Enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you all.  
**

**I also brought two goldfish this week. One is called Reid and the other is called Morgan. Yeah, seems my obsession with Criminal Minds reaches beyond fanfiction.**

**Thank you so much for being so patient and for being such fantastic readers. Thanks again!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

**The next day**

Morgan walked through the hospital with Spencer in his arms and wondered if he was doing the right thing. After a talk with his young charge, he had decided to bring Spencer to the hospital to see his mother and to give him some peace of mind about the condition of his mother. They came to Diana's room but Morgan didn't enter immediately. "Spencer, remember, she's going to have a lot of bruises and wires connected to her. She's okay though. She'll wake up when she's ready to."

"I know," Spencer nodded. "I just want to see her."

Morgan shifted Reid into one arm and opened the door. He walked in slowly and kept his eyes trained on the young boy's face. Spencer's eyes grew big and sad as he looked at his mother. Walking to the bed, he settled Spencer on the edge. Spencer reached out and touched his mother's face. "Hi, Mommy. I'm here. Papa Morgan is taking really good care of me."

Spencer shuffled further up the bed without disturbing any of the wires and stroked his small hand through her hair as his eyes began to tear up. "I'm sorry that Daddy hurt you looking for me."

Morgan stepped forward. "Spencer, this isn't your fault. Remember what we talked about. Your daddy is a bad man."

"I know," he nodded before returning to stroking his hand through Diana's hair. "I wish she would wake up."

"In time," Morgan soothed. "She's letting herself heal while dreaming about you. We can come and see her every day when she wakes up, I promise. Shall I leave the presents you got her?"

"Yes, please," Spencer smiled before turning to his mother. "Mommy, I brought you lots of presents."

Morgan brought the backpack he had brought off his shoulder and began to place items on the bedside table. Garcia had already been to the hospital with flowers. At least four bouquets of bright and colourful flowers adorned the bedside tables next to the bed. The first item was a book of poetry that Spencer had brought when was with Garcia when they had visited the book store. The next was a notebook full of Bob Dylan songs that Spencer had written down himself from memory. The second from last item was a teddy bear with 'BEST MUMMY' on it. The last was a picture of Spencer taken on his day out with Garcia that had been framed. Morgan positioned it so the first thing Diana would see when she turned her head would be a picture of her son.

Spencer trailed his hand gently over the dark bruises around his mother's eyes. His chin wobbled and he could stop the first rush of tears that came down his face. "I love you, mommy."

Reaching out for Morgan, Spencer let out a sob as he was picked up and held against Morgan's chest. "Hey, shhh, it's okay. Spencer, it's okay to let it out."

"I wish I could hear her say I love you back," Spencer cried into Morgan's shoulder.

"She loves you even if she can't say it. You know that. Let's go home. Say goodbye to Mommy."

Morgan walked to the top of the bed and lowered Spencer enough so that he could kiss Diana's forehead. "Bye, Mommy. I love you. Please wake up soon."

* * *

Fran walked into the house to see Spencer asleep on the couch with her son staring intently at him from the other couch. "How did the hospital visit go?"

"Better than I thought it would," Morgan sighed. "He really misses her. He got a little upset but he's seen her now and he knows she's okay."

Fran recognised the look in her son's eyes. It was the same look she had in her eyes when she was with Spencer. "You don't want to lose him, do you?"

"Mom, I'm just his guardian till social services decide what will happen."

Fran sat next to him and held his hand. "I know that look. It's the look I have all the time when I'm taking care of Spencer. You love him and you don't want to lose him."

"He calls me Papa Morgan," Morgan smiled as he looked back to Spencer. "I know he hasn't been with us long but I care about him and I'm worried about what will happen if he was to go back to Vegas with his mother. Diana loves her son more than anything in the whole world and she almost died keeping him safe. She's also mentally ill and William hasn't left them with much. I've seen his bank account and he spent most of his money on alcohol and at bars. We haven't been able to track down any other accounts he might have. My point is that I'm afraid if Spencer was to go back to Vegas and live with his mother, then he might not have a good life. At least, not a life where he is supported and able to fully experience his genius intellect."

"I have the same worries," Fran said as she squeezed his hand.

"I don't want to tear a family apart and I won't. Mom, my feelings don't matter in all of this. Social services will have final say on what happens and I'll have to accept that decision."

"You shouldn't accept it without a fight. There are other ways, I'm sure, that Spencer could still be around his mother but still be with you. He loves you too. He loves his Papa Morgan."

* * *

**Night**

* * *

_"Spencer, where are you? Come out, you little shit!"_

_Spencer shivered and let the tear slide town his cheek as he hid from his father's rage. He had just turned six. He could hear his mother screaming inside her room and put his hand over his mouth to muffle a sob. The small cupboard door opened a few minutes later and he let out a small scream as his father's hand clapped around his wrist and yanked him out. "Please, daddy. Please don't hurt me."_

_A brutal slap came across his face causing him to cry more. "You should face your punishment like a man."_

_"I d-didn't do anything, D-Daddy," he coughed. _

_"You were born!"_

_"William," he heard his mother screaming from upstairs. "William, don't hurt him. I'll do anything. Just don't hurt him!"_

_Spencer yelped and crashed into the floor as his father delivered a brutal punch to his face. He cried louder as his father towered above him._

_"William, stop!" Diana yelled frantically as she banged against the door. "Please, stop!"_

_William grabbed a bottle of whiskey with one hand and stepped over Spencer's curled up and shivering body. "It's a good thing your mother loves you. I could never love a weak pathetic son like you."_

* * *

Spencer woke up in his bed and let out a sob into his pillow. The dull light from his night light provided a small amount of instant relief. Climbing out of bed, he grabbed Einstein, opened the door and made his way to Morgan's room. He climbed onto the bed and curled himself under his arms.

"Spencer," Morgan groggily slurred as he woke up and turned on the light. He sat up in bed and brought Spencer up to sit next to him. "Hey, did you have a nightmare?"

"He hurt Mommy but not in the same way," Spencer said shakily.

"What do you mean?" Morgan questioned.

"He was hurting me and Mommy was in locked in her room and she was yelling and pleading for him to stop hurting me. He said it was a good job that my mother loved me because he never could. He slammed the bedroom door and I heard him hurting her. I know what he would do to her sometimes. I always found her crying in bed."

"Oh, Spencer," Morgan said as he processed the fact Spencer had known the true extent of William's abuse on Diana. The team had suspected that William had forced Diana into sex but now Spencer had confirmed it. "Come here."

Spencer rushed into Morgan's arms and felt safe as they wrapped around him. Morgan held Spencer close and kissed the top of his head. "Nothing will ever happen to your mother or you again. I promise."

* * *

Hotch knocked on Morgan's door and waited for an answer. It had been a long day but he wanted to check on him to make sure everything was going well with Spencer's care. Morgan answered the door with a paint smock on which covered his chest and legs. It was already splattered with paint. "Hey, Hotch."

"What are you doing covered in paint?" Hotch asked with a small chuckle.

"Come through and see," Morgan invited as he let Hotch step into the house. "Wait, Hotch. I need to quickly talk to you about something Spencer said."

"What is it?"

"Spencer had a nightmare about his father beating him except William stopped in the nightmare because Diana was pleading from the upstairs bedroom she had been locked in. Hotch, Spencer knows that William raped Diana. He understands what happened to her. He heard it happening and he would go and comfort her when he would find her crying in bed."

"We suspected that he was forcing her into sex," Hotch said with frustration. "That son of a bitch. Morgan, Spencer needs to go to counselling. This is something that he shouldn't understand."

"I know, Hotch. I'm looking into counsellors but I want to make sure he gets the very best. We can talk about this later. We're giving Spencer a fun day today after his nightmare. Come and see."

Hotch followed Morgan through the house and into the garden. Spencer squealed with delight as he flicked a paint brush and watched the paint hit the incredibly large canvas that was set up. Fran flicked her own brush as they continued to have fun doing art.

"Spencer, Hotch is here to see you," Morgan called causing Spencer to look up and blink from behind his goggles.

"Hello, Hotch," Spencer waved his hand causing paint to splatter the grass and Fran. Spencer giggled as Fran flicked paint on his plastic paint smock.

"Grammy," Spencer giggled before he flicked the canvas again.

"Want to join in?" Morgan offered. "I've got a plastic smock that will cover your whole suit."

Spencer picked up a brush and brought it over to Hotch. "The more the merrier."

Hotch picked up the paint brush and nodded. "I'd love to join in."

"Yay," Spencer jumped up and down. "You can be blue."

**Please review**


	16. Chapter 16

**Hey everyone, here is the next chapter for you all. I apologise for the delay and I'm very sorry for keeping you all waiting. I had a very bad seizure two and a half weeks ago and spent a week on my couch recovering from it and it has since been causing some issues with my memory and my concentration. My writing might not be at its best but I hope you all still enjoy it. I'm doing okay and writing helps keeps me going. If there are delays in my updates, it's due to my health and I hope you all can understand that they might take a little longer but I always try to update as soon as I can. I was hoping to have a longer chapter but I hope this is okay for now. I promise longer updates in the future. Enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you all.  
**

**Thank you for all the great reviews and you're the best readers a girl could as for. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

**A few days later**

Fran sat patiently as she waited for Spencer to finish the science work she had given to him. He was completing the work at lightening speed and seemed completely absorbed with the work. She ticked science off their lesson plan for the day and decided it would be good for him to have a break. They had already had an hour of maths and an hour of English which they had completed. Fran frowned when she noticed Spencer leaning in close to read one of the questions. She had noticed that he struggled to Reid things from far away. She let him finish the work.

"I'm done, Grammy," he smiled as he put down his pen and pushed the work over to her.

"I'll mark this after we've had some lunch," Fran said as she put away the work in a folder. "Spencer, do you have trouble reading things when they are far away?"

Spencer bit his lip. "A little. I'm sorry I didn't tell you. Some things are a little blurry when they are far away. I didn't want you to send me away."

"Why would you think we would send you away?" Fran asked.

"I already have scars and nightmares. I thought if you found out, you wouldn't want me any more and I'd have to go away. I like it here and I don't want to go to a foster home. I hid it from you."

Fran rose up and walked over to him. She knelt in front him and stroked some of his hair behind his ears. "We will never send you away. We love you and we care about you. Never be afraid to tell me about things like this. We just need to make you an appointment to have your eyes tested. I think you need glasses."

"I'm sorry I lied, Grammy."

"It's okay," she assured him. "Just remember that I'm always here and you can tell me anything. You have to tell me the truth when it comes to your health."

"I will," Spencer nodded.

Fran brought up her hands and cradled Spencer's face. "The world is going to be very lucky to have you, Spencer, and I just know you're going to make a big difference in it. Don't let anyone tell you that you are anything but special. Now, how about we get some lunch?"

"Grammy, what's going to happen to me when my mommy is better?"

"Spencer, that is something that will have to be decided when the time comes. Just know this. I always will be here for you. Derek too. Your mother has some time before she's able to start living her life again. No-one will force you to do anything that you don't want to do. Derek loves you very much and he loves spending time with you too. He thinks about your future. He wants to make sure that you get all the help in life that you'll ever need. You have a wonderful and brilliant mind. You can be whatever you want to be."

"My daddy said that I would be nothing but a failure," Spencer said quietly before biting his lip again. "He said I was already a failure because I wasn't normal."

Fran shuffled forward and wrapped her arms around him as he began to shake. "Spencer, your father is a terrible and evil man. He couldn't understand how wonderful you truly are. You aren't normal. You're extraordinary."

Spencer leaned in further to Fran causing her to kiss the top of his head. "You're extraordinary too, Grammy."

* * *

**A week later**

"Oh, look how you cute you look in your glasses," Garcia squealed with joy as she brushed Spencer's hair behind his ears. She adored his new blue, thick rimmed glasses. She knew he had picked them out himself and loved how they looked on him. "I love your new glasses."

"Thank you," Spencer grinned. Morgan had brought him into the BAU for an hour after Cruz had called him in for a meeting and Fran was running a few errands. Garcia noticed that Spencer leaned against Morgan and hid slightly behind him as Cruz walked over. Morgan gave Spencer's hand a comforting squeeze.

"Hello, Morgan," Cruz greeted. "I'm sorry about having to call you in but I need you to fill out some paperwork and discuss some things. Is this Spencer?"

"It is," Morgan said before looking to Spencer. "Spencer, it's okay. He's a good man. You don't have to be worried. Sorry, Cruz. He's shy around new people."

"I understand," Cruz said before looking to Spencer. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Spencer."

"It's a pleasure to meet you too, sir," Spencer said shyly before letting go of Morgan's hand and rushing to Garcia's side. She held his hand and gave him a comforting smile.

"Well, I'll let you two go on with your meeting," Garcia smiled. "Spencer and I are going to go and see what candy I have in my draw."

Morgan watched as Spencer held Garcia's hand and walked with her into her office. He noticed Cruz giving him a smile. "What?"

"I think caring for Spencer is good for you," Cruz said. "You seem calmer than usual and happier."

"Spencer has that affect on you," Morgan shrugged with a smile.

* * *

**Two days later**

Spencer wanted to run through the hospital to his mother's room but Morgan had told him to stay close. Morgan had told him that his mother was finally starting to wake up properly and had been for over two days. He didn't care about the other people around him. All he cared about was seeing his mother. He had only seen her a few times since seeing her the first time he had come to the hospital. They came to the door but Morgan didn't open it immediately. He knelt down and looked into Spencer's eyes. "You ready?"

"I really want to see her," Spencer nodded quickly.

Morgan gave him a gentle smile and opened the door. Spencer kept hold of Morgan's hand as they walked over to the bed. Diana seemed to be sleeping as Morgan lifted his young charge up onto the bed. Spencer reached out and gently stroked her hair. "Hi, Mommy. It's Spencer. I came to see you. Papa Morgan told me that you woke up."

Diana didn't move for a moment before letting out a small moan. Her eyes opened up slowly and wandered the room for a moment. Her eyes soon settled on her son. Tears welled up in her eyes as she took in the sight of her son smiling. "S-Spencer," she cried gently. "Y-You're here."

Spencer let out a sob. "I'm here, mommy. Daddy can't hurt us any more."

Diana reached out with her good hand and cradled his cheek. "I've been dreaming about you. Oh, my little boy is safe."

"Papa Morgan and Grammy kept me safe," Spencer told her. "Grammy is Papa Morgan's mommy."

Morgan walked to the bed and softly smiled at Diana. "William is in prison and will be for the rest of his life. You're safe and Spencer is too. You're one hell of a fighter, Diana."

"Thank you," Diana cried gently before reaching out for Morgan's hand. He held her hand with care. "Thank you for taking care of my little boy. He looks so happy. Y-You kept your promise."

"I did," Morgan assured her. "I'm his temporary guardian. He's been living with me. My whole team adores him and he's been a very good boy. You're in Virginia. We transferred you from another hospital so you could recover and be close to your son."

"Papa Morgan is awesome," Spencer grinned. "He takes me to the park and got me new glasses. Do you like them?"

"I love them," Diana said as let go of Morgan's hand and wrapped her arm as far as she could around her son. He leaned down and snuggled under arm. Diana kissed the top of his head and held him close. She cried gently as she realised her son was finally happy and safe. William had not managed to take him away from her. The doctors had explained how long she had been in a coma and her condition but she didn't care about her broken bones or bruises. All she cared about was that her son was in her arms.

Morgan pointed to the bedside table. "Spencer brought you a book of poetry and he filled a notebook full of Bob Dylan songs. He also put a picture here and he also got you this," Morgan said as he gently placed the 'Best Mummy' bear on the bed. "Your son is an amazing little boy."

"I know," Diana nodded gently. Spencer wrapped his small arms around her as far as he could and gave a contented sigh.

"I love you, mommy."

"I love you too, Spencer. Mommy will always love you."

* * *

Morgan sat in the corner of the room silently as he watched Spencer sleep on Diana's chest and Diana sleep with her arm cradling her son. They had fallen asleep together over two hours ago and Morgan didn't want to disturb them. Spencer had not twitched or called out once during the time he had been sleeping next to his mother. Reuniting mother and son warmed his heart but it also made his heart hurt. He had grown close to Spencer, had enjoyed being a father figure to him and was afraid of the time when he was going to lose that. He would never keep Spencer from his mother but the worries about his care still plagued him. Spencer had suffered so much in six years of his childhood and deserved to spend the rest of it doing what made him happy and not having to worry about caring for his mother at such a young age.

It wouldn't be easy when the time came to leave Spencer with his mother and he knew he had to face the pain when that day came if the child protection service gave custody back to Diana.

A day he wasn't looking forward to.

**Please review**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hey everyone, here is the next chapter for you all. I'm so sorry about the delay in posting but my health is still not great and I am going through some things in my personal life. I will never leave a story too long if I can help it. I'm hoping to have lots of other updates posted this week although I have a little writer's block with Vigilante. I never seem to be happy with the big scene I'm writing for the chapter. Enjoy this chapter and I look forward to hearing from you all.**

**Thank you so much for all the reviews. You're all brilliant and awesome when it comes to being patient with my slow updates. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

Fran opened the door to Diana's room and walked in to find Spencer yawning and cuddling up against his mother. Diana looked up at her with a frown. Morgan rose up from his chair. "Don't worry, Diana. This is Fran, my mother. Also known as Grammy."

"Hi, Grammy," Spencer waved before rubbing his eyes.

"Hello, Spencer," Fran smiled. "You look like you just woke up from a nap."

"We both have," Diana said softly. "Thank you for taking care of my son. He's my precious boy and knowing that he is safe makes me feel much better."

"He's a beautiful and kind little boy," Fran said before walking over to the bed. "He's also an excellent little helper in the kitchen. We'll have to make you some cookies and brownies."

"That sounds wonderful," Diana nodded gently before stroking her son's hair. Everyone looked to the door when a young doctor walked into the room.

"I'm sorry to disturb you all but I need to take Diana for a scan and a few tests," the doctor informed them. "It's going to take a while."

"I think it's time for Spencer to have some dinner anyway," Fran spoke before walking to the bed with Morgan by her side. "Diana, would you be okay with us taking Spencer home? I'll bring him by tomorrow for a visit."

"My boy needs to stay strong," Diana agreed before looking into Spencer's eyes as he rose up with a frown. "Spencer, don't be sad. I'm going to be fine. I'll see you tomorrow and you can bring me cookies if you want. I love you and I'm going to be right here. I'm going to read the book of poetry you brought me. Promise me that you'll be a good boy for Morgan and his mother."

"I'll be a good boy, I promise. I'm always a good boy," Spencer nodded before leaning down and giving his mother a gentle hug. "I love you too, Mommy."

Diana lifted up her uninjured hand and cradled his cheek. "Dream sweet things, Spencer."

"You too, Mommy."

* * *

Diana laid in her bed with the picture of her son in her hand and felt her heart both ache and warm at the sight of her son smiling and enjoying his life. Her mind was clear and had been due to the medication she was receiving and knew that she had a hard decision ahead of her. The thoughts running around her mind were the same thoughts that had come to her mind before William had beaten her near to death. Never in her life had she seen her son look so full of life as he had when he had been by her side earlier in the day. She adored her son but deep down knew she couldn't give him the life he needed. Days passed sometimes where she would forget he even existed and she struggled to function sometimes. William had often hit her after she had come to her senses as punishment for not being able to make him food. She didn't have much money either and she wasn't going to make her son have to grow up too fast. He already knew too much of the adult world than he should do. Holding the picture, her heart and mind battled over the decision she knew she had to make.

Her love for her son would never disappear and she always wanted to be part of his life but she knew he would never be able to do what he wanted in life or show the world what he was capable of if he was burdened with looking after her. He deserved a childhood and the life she had never had. All she wanted for him was to grow up, be what he wanted to be and have a life that made him happy.

Even though it hurt, she knew she had to make a heartbreaking decision.

* * *

**The next day**

Morgan carried Spencer in his arms while Fran carried a box of cookies and brownies in her hands. He pushed open the door to see that Diana was awake. A grin came to her face when she saw Spencer. Putting him down, Morgan couldn't help but chuckle at the way Spencer rushed to the bed and just managed to climb on the bed. Spencer wrapped his arms around his mother and kissed her forehead. "Mommy, I made you brownies and cookies. Just like I said I would."

"I can see," Diana nodded gently as she looked to the box in Fran's house. "Spencer, do you think that you could help Fran do something for me? I'm all out of cold water in my jug and I need a helper to go and get me some. I know you'll make sure it's the best water."

"I'll get you some water," Spencer smiled at her before trying to get off the bed. Morgan managed to catch him when he stumbled and placed him on his feet.

"Slow down, Spencer," Morgan said gently before taking the brownies from his mother. Fran held Spencer's hand as they walked out of the room and into the corridor. Placing the sweet treats on the bedside table, Morgan lowered himself into the seat next to the bed. "So, I take it you want to talk to me about something."

"You're very perceptive and I do need to speak with you," Diana said shakily. "I've been thinking about this for a long time, even before William did this to me and I had time to think when I was in jail. Morgan, I've made a very hard decision. I'm going to sign Spencer over to a permanent guardian and I would like that to be you."

Morgan's eyes widened as he took in Diana's word. "Diana, this is a big decision and you barely know me."

"I know everything I need to know about you," Diana sighed before taking a deep breath. "My son is happy with you and I've never seen him this full of life and happy before. You kept your promise to me and you kept him safe from William and you've given him a safe place to live and call home. I see the way he clings to you and the way you hold him. You love my son as if he was your own child and your mother loves him too. I love my son more than anything and anyone in this world and I want to do what's best for him. I'm not what is best for him and I can't be a proper mother to him with my condition. He's been through enough pain in his life and I won't put him through any more. I know I'm asking so much of you but I know you've grown attached to him and I've seen the flicker of pain in your eyes when Spencer talks about going home with me."

Morgan reached out and held her hand gently. "I do care about your son and I won't lie to you. I want to give him a good home and a good life. I won't break apart a family though. He wants to come home with you and this is a big decision. You love your son. I do see him as the son I've always wanted."

"You aren't breaking apart a family," Diana said as she held his hand tighter. "I'll still see my son but he'll have a home with a family. No matter how you look at this, a family was going to be broken apart but it's the right one this time. I know Spencer loves being part of your family and he adores you. He calls you Papa Morgan. You're the father that he's always wanted and you're also the father figure that he needs. The family he has built with you is the family he needs to stay with. I would like to always be part of his life and I intend to. Spencer will be safe, cared for and loved if he stays with you."

Morgan considered Diana's words and knew she was right. He hadn't been able to let Spencer go when he had first met him and he couldn't do it now. Morgan knew that Diana meant every word and that this was what she thought was the best thing for her son. She would always be his mother and Morgan would always make sure of that. He gave her hand a soothing squeeze. "I will become Spencer's permanent guardian and I promise he'll be loved. You'll always be his mother and you'll always be part of his life, Diana."

"Just promise that he'll be safe. I'll try to help support you with whatever I have," Diana said.

"No, I'll take care of everything. Your son is a wonderful little boy and even though I've only been with him for a few weeks, I can't let him go because I care for him and love him. My mother has grown very attached too. She's home schooling him till he feels confident enough to try going to school and helped him get his new glasses. William won't ever come near him again because he's going to spend the rest of his life in prison for what he's done."

"I never told him anything when he was hurting me," Diana said even as her voice broke a little as the pain from the memories resurfaced. "I remember him beating me but I don't remember anything after the other one hit me hard in the head."

"I'm so sorry that you had to go through that," Morgan shook his head before giving her a comforting smile. "You're a strong woman to survive what he did to you. Spencer said that he gets his strength from you."

"He did?" Diana began to cry gently as a smile came to her lips.

"Yes, he did. He's missed you a lot and I've never seen a smile so big when he heard about you waking up. Don't cry, it's okay."

"I don't know what I did to deserve such a beautiful and strong little boy," Diana cried. "He's a miracle. He survived when William hit me in the stomach when I was pregnant and he survived so much more abuse at the hands of his father. He's going to be a great man when he grows up and now I know he's got a good man to lead him down that path."

* * *

**Later that evening**

Morgan listened as Spencer laughed at the cartoons he had left him to watch in the living room. He stirred the hot chocolate he was making and brought out some small marshmallows and placed some on the surface. His mother was upstairs speaking with Desiree and giving out the motherly advice that his sister needed. He needed to speak with Spencer alone and had promised Diana that he would. Walking into the living room, he set Spencer's hot chocolate on the table while he kept his own in his hand. "Hey, kiddo."

"Is that for me?" Spencer pointed at the hot chocolate on the table.

"It is and it's Garcia's famous recipe," Morgan smiled. "Spencer, I have to speak with you about something. I promised your mother that I would. Spencer, how would you feel about living with me for a long time?"

"What do you mean?" Spencer questioned.

"Your mommy loves you more than anything or anyone in the whole world but she's ill and I know you know what disease she has and how it affects her. She's afraid that she can't give you the life that you need. She wants you to grow up and be whatever you want to be. Your mommy knows that you have a great future ahead of you and that you're going to need a lot of guidance and support. Now, she would always be your mother and she can come visit you as much as she wants and we can see her too. She'll always be in your life but she wants you to live with me and I would become your permanent guardian. You'd stay here and live with me."

"She doesn't want me any more," Spencer frowned before looking down at his lap.

Morgan put his arm around Spencer. "She will always want you but this is safer for both of you. Your mother can get the help she needs and not be scared about hurting you during one of her episodes. You can write to her, email her, video call her and so much more. She knows that you like it here. You do like it here, don't you?"

Spencer bit his lip and nodded as he looked into Morgan's eyes. "I love it here but I love my mommy too."

"Your mother knows that you love her and you'll never lose that connection. I love you too, kiddo. I'm your Papa Morgan and I'll always be that to you. Grammy loves you too. We're a family and your mother is part of our family too. I'd love to have you live here."

"No-one apart from mommy has ever wanted me before," Spencer said timidly.

"We do and this is your home if you choose to stay here with me."

"Do you promise that I'll be able to talk with mommy when I want?"

"I promise," Morgan nodded gently.

Spencer leaned against Morgan and wrapped his small arms around him tightly. Morgan wrapped his arms around the small boy and kissed the top of his head. "I'd like to live with you, Papa Morgan."

"Then it's settled," Morgan smiled as he held the young man.

* * *

**A week later**

Fran quickly placed her famous brownies in the oven and turned as the doorbell rang. Morgan was taking Spencer for another visit with his mother and everything was finally being settled with social services. She already knew who was at the door.

She had barely opened the door when her two daughters rushed through and hugged her. "Hey, Mom," Desiree grinned.

"We've missed you," Sarah said as she hugged her mother tightly.

Fran came away and giggled gently at their joy. "I've missed you too. I'm so glad you could come down for a visit."

"We are always happy to make time for you," Desiree said before looking around. "So, where is our new nephew? The one we've just found out about."

"He's at the hospital visiting his mother. She's recovering well too which has calmed Spencer. They'll be back very soon. Oh, he's just the most adorable little boy in the world. He's so smart too. A genius. Just be gentle with him. He's been through a lot at such a young age. He already knows you're coming and he wants to call you his Aunt Sarah and Aunt Desiree because you're his Papa Morgan's sisters."

"Oh, I just know he's going to melt my heart," Sarah smirked.

* * *

Spencer jumped out of the car with Morgan's help and walked with him into the house. He heard laughing coming from the kitchen and made his way there to see two women talking with his Grammy. "Hi, Grammy."

He rushed to Grammy and was swept into her arms and held on her hip. She kissed his cheek and turned to face the two women. "Spencer, these are your aunts. This is Sarah and this is Desiree."

"Nice to meet you," Spencer greeted.

Desiree couldn't help the small 'aww' noise and came from her. "You're are so cute, Spencer, and so polite too. You don't have to be so formal with us though. We're your cool aunties. We brought you presents too."

"Really?" Spencer asked.

"Of course we have," Sarah nodded. "Can I hold you?"

"Okay," Spencer nodded before Fran passed Spencer to Sarah.

"Let's go and open your presents," Sarah said cheerily before making her way with Desiree into the living room.

Fran loved the way that Sarah and Desiree had taken to Spencer and listened as they greeted Morgan. He walked into the kitchen and placed some take out food on the table. "I picked up dinner, Mom. Spencer seems to like Desiree and Sarah."

"He's with his cool aunts," Fran chuckled before letting out a contented sigh. "He belongs with us. Always has."

**Please review**


	18. Chapter 18

**Hey, here is the next chapter for you all. I hope you all enjoy it and again, I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. I'm not sure how many chapters are left on this but I might start to wind this down. I also hope that this covers more of what you've been asking for. You wanted Spencer to spend more time with the team and I tried to do that in this chapter. Enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you all.  
**

**Thank you so much for all being so amazingly patient and for being brilliant. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

Sarah and Desiree both couldn't stop staring at Spencer as he slept peacefully curled up on the couch with a blanket over him. "Look at the adorable way he sleeps with his mouth open," Sarah smiled gently. "I guess we tired him out with his new toys."

"He really took to you both," Fran said. "I think he might even be ready to go to school soon."

"That's a big step, Mom," Morgan spoke up.

"I know, Derek, and I'm not going to push him into anything he isn't ready or comfortable doing. He's doing so well in his studies. He's going to be in college well before he turns eighteen."

"For now, as long as he is happy with the level of work that he's doing, I'm happy," Morgan smiled. "I better carry him up to his bed."

Sarah leaned down and kissed Spencer's forehead. "Goodnight, Spencer."

Desiree followed with a kiss to Spencer's forehead too. "Goodnight, little bear."

"Little bear?" Morgan quirked his eyebrow.

"An aunty can have a nickname for her nephew," Desiree shrugged before stepping aside so Morgan could bring Spencer into his arms. Spencer's head came to rest on Morgan's shoulder and barely stirred at the movement. Morgan made his way upstairs and into Spencer's room where he proceeded to lay Spencer down in the bed.

"Papa," Spencer whispered as the sandman's spell kept a gentle hold over him.

"Hey, it's me," Morgan spoke gently. "You go to sleep now. You can barely keep your eyes open thanks to your aunties."

Spencer closed his eyes as Morgan placed Einstein in his arms. Sleep took hold of the young boy quickly and Morgan couldn't help the warm feeling that came through his heart at the sight of Spencer sleeping peacefully. "Sweet dreams, son."

* * *

**One week later**

Rossi opened the door and smiled at the sight of Morgan and Spencer. "Hey, come in."

"Thanks for doing this, Rossi," Morgan said as he walked in with Spencer at his side. "I know it's your week off but work is hectic and my mom has to go to the doctor today. It's just something routine."

"I'm more than happy to take care of Spencer."

Morgan and Rossi looked down as Spencer let out a small gasp. They noticed that he was staring past Rossi at the table with a chessboard on it. "Go ahead, Spencer. Do you play?" Rossi asked as Spencer let go of Morgan's hand and walked over to the table. He climbed onto the chair and let his hand hover over the chess pieces as he began to speak.

"There was a group of old people who used to play chess at the park. When I wasn't allowed in the house, I would go there sometimes and they would play against me. I usually won. There was an old man though that I could never beat but he told me to never stop trying. They were really kind."

"How long have you been able to play chess?" Rossi questioned with curiosity as he stood by the table.

"Since I was three," Spencer answered. "I love chess."

"I happen to know that Rossi here is quite the opponent," Morgan grinned. "I guess I know what you two are going to be doing today."

"Can we play, Rossi?" Spencer bit his lip with excitement as he looked at the board.

"You bet, kiddo."

* * *

**An hour later**

Rossi stared at Spencer in awe at the young man's ability. "I can't believe you just beat me."

"You're not angry, are you?" Spencer spoke worryingly.

"No, absolutely not, I'm just amazed. You are a very worthy opponent. Would you like a rematch? I bet I can beat you this time and then after I have something to show you."

"Okay," Spencer nodded.

* * *

Rossi pushed open the door to his own personal library and watched Spencer's eyes widen with delight. Spencer stepped into the room and looked at the shelves with eager anticipation. "You have the coolest house, Rossi."

A small chuckle escaped from Rossi. "My library has never quite been described that way before. I thought you would like it here. I'm actually a published author myself. I write books about what I do. When you are older, you can read them. Do you want to read something now? I need a make a call and I know how much you love your books."

"I'd love to read a book," Reid said eagerly. "I'll be careful, I promise."

"Go ahead and pick," Rossi smiled as he waved his hand to all the shelves. Spencer looked around at all the books and reached out to touch a hardcover book. Rossi brought the book out for him and was surprised at the young boy's choice. "You want to read Stephen King's The Shining."

"Yes, please."

"There is some grown up stuff in here," Rossi frowned.

"I've read novels by the author before and I'm not worried about the grown up content. I read some books at Miss Poe's library that she didn't know I knew about. I had a Stephen King book which I hid from daddy. Please, Rossi, I can handle it. I know I'm only six but I don't feel six," Spencer sighed as he closed his eyes for a moment.

"Hey, you can talk to me," Rossi urged gently as he knelt and put his hand on Spencer's arm.

"Sometimes, I wonder what it would be like to be normal and not know so much about the world. I like playing chess, reading books above my age and I like doing my school work too. There is another part of me. A part that just wants to play in the park, be normal and be a child."

Rossi put his hand on Spencer's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. "You are an extraordinary child, there is no denying that but you are also normal. Don't think you aren't normal just because of that wonderful brain of yours. Only others can label you. You are whatever you want to be."

"What if I want to try to be both but a balanced kind of both?"

"Then try and succeed. You can enjoy being a child and still let your mind grow. No-one is going to force you to choose now. What your father did to you and your mother forced you to grow up but he's not here anymore. You don't have to grow up faster than you need to."

Spencer stepped forward and wrapped his arms as far as he could around Rossi. "Thank you, Rossi."

Rossi put the book down and put his arms around him. He felt Spencer lean into his chest and knew that Spencer was always going to be family. "I'm always here for you, Spencer."

* * *

**A few days later**

JJ and Garcia laughed as they prepared the picnic they had brought out with them. JJ looked as she heard Henry let out small scream from the park where Henry and Spencer were playing. Both women dropped what they were doing and rushed over to find Spencer getting back to his feet with his scrapes and blood on his hands and knees.

"I'm okay," Spencer sniffed.

"He fell so hard," Henry began to cry. "I'm sorry, mommy. I wanted to race."

Garcia swooped Spencer up into her arms and winced at the sight of the scrapes. "I've got an emergency kit for just this. Come on, let's get you cleaned up."

"Don't worry, Auntie Garcia, I've had worse," Spencer shrugged as she settled him on the blanket and brought out a small green first aid kit from her bag. Henry was being comforted by JJ away from them and Garcia knew that Henry most likely blamed himself for Spencer getting hurt because he had suggested racing. Henry was a caring young boy and he had grown to see Spencer as his best friend.

"You scraped your skin quite badly," Garcia frowned as she soaked a cotton wool pad with antiseptic and began to dab it over Spencer's knees. "Don't worry, I'll make it all better and then we can eat."

Henry came over and knelt next to Spencer. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay," Spencer assured him with a gentle smile. "It wasn't your fault, Henry, and I like when we race each other. Let's just do it on the grass next time."

Henry leaned down and gave Spencer a hug. "I'm glad you're okay."

* * *

**The next day**

Emily looked up from her last piece of paper work as she sensed she was being watched. She turned around and smiled when she saw Spencer standing there. "Spencer, what are you doing here?"

"Papa forgot something so we had to come back while on the way to meet Grammy for dinner. Hotch is talking with him. You read Kurt Vonnegut?" Spencer said as he pointed to the weathered book on Emily's desk.

"You like his books?" Emily said.

"Rossi had some in his library and I could reach them. He doesn't know I read them."

"It'll be our little secret," Emily winked before letting out a small chuckle.

"There you are," Morgan sighed as he walked up the desk and ruffled Spencer's hair. "Hey, Emily. Want to join us for dinner?"

"We're having Italian," Spencer grinned. "Si prega di venire a cena."

"Since when do you know Italian," Morgan said in surprise.

Rossi clapped his hands in applause at Spencer as he walked over. He brought him up into his arms. "Bravo, Spencer," he smiled before turning to the others. "Spencer è il mio studente."

"Italian from the Italian himself," Emily giggled. "Morgan, I'd love to come to dinner."

"How about you Rossi?" Morgan offered.

"Dinner sound great," Rossi accepted.

* * *

**A few days later**

"Come in," Rossi called as a knock came at his office door. Morgan walked into the room with a small wrapped box in his hand. "What can I do for you, Morgan?"

"I've got a present from Spencer," Morgan said as he held up the box wrapped with brown paper. "He's really grown attached to you. Here."

Rossi took the small box and unwrapped it to find a classic car model painted and in a plastic case to keep it safe. He looked at the car closely and let the corner of his mouth turn into a smile. "Did he make this?"

"He did," Morgan nodded. "He made and painted it himself. He noticed you looking at the model in one of your books when he was at your house. The detail on it is amazing and he worked really hard on it. I got the case so it would stay safe. Do you like it?"

"I love it," Rossi grinned like a Cheshire cat. "That boy never stops amazing me."

**Please review**

**Translations - ****Si prega di venire a cena - Please come to dinner.**

**Spencer è il mio studente - Spencer is my student**

**Translations are from google translate**


	19. Chapter 19

**Hey, here is the next chapter for you all. I hope you all enjoy it. I apologize for the delay in updating as I was meant to do it last week but my cat decided to have her kittens. She lost one during the first night but the remaining one is doing really well and is so cute. He's so small that he fits into one of my hands and actually falls asleep in my hand. I've been keeping an eye on him/her and looking after them both. I hope you all enjoy this chapter and I will try to get my updates out quicker. Enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you all.**

**Thank you so much for all the great and wonderful reviews. You're really patient with me too so I must thank you for that. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

Morgan held Spencer's hand as they stared at the school and the children making their way inside. The small hand holding his squeezed tighter, a signal for support and help. Kneeling down, Morgan straightened Spencer's jacket and gave him a small smile. "This is a big step, kiddo, and I know you're nervous. I am one phone call away and I spoke with your teacher. If you have any trouble, you go to her and you tell her what's wrong. You'll be continuing the work that you did with Grammy. You'll only be doing certain classes with everyone else."

"Papa, I'm scared that they're going to hurt me," Spencer bit his lip. "The others back at my old school played tricks on me and threw things at me."

"Spencer, I can't say that everyone will be nice but I know you can make friends and your teacher will help with everything else. Just be yourself and remember that I am there for you at the end of the day and so is Grammy. I know for a fact she's planning a nice big meal to celebrate your first day going to school."

Spencer brought his arms around Morgan's chest as much as he could and squeezed. "I love you, Papa."

Morgan hugged Spencer and kissed the top of his head. "I love you too."

Spencer came away and took his lunchbox from Morgan's hand. "Bye, Papa."

"Bye, Spencer. Grammy will be picking you up," Morgan said before Spencer began to make his way down the path. He kept a close eye on Spencer till he reached the door. He felt a small pang in his chest as he watched Spencer disappear into the building. It didn't occur to him that he would feel so nervous, not nervous for himself but for his son.

* * *

The moment he walked into the bullpen, he was immediately ambushed by Garcia and her worries for Spencer. "How was he when you dropped him off?"

Morgan stopped and sighed. "He was nervous and a little scared about being bullied again but I think he's going to be okay. The school are going to be teaching him separately from the children in some subjects but he'll interact with them on other things."

"Like what?" Garcia asked as they walked down the steps.

"Art, gym class and a few other things. This is a temporary placement at best, Garcia. The school has arranged to have a specialized tutor for him but they're already discussing about moving him to middle school and then shortly after to high school."

"That's a lot of change for him," Garcia frowned. "Middle school and high school are hard enough when you're growing up. He would be a child among teenagers. I don't like the thought of that."

"Well nothing is set yet," he said before chuckling. "You certainly go into Mamma bear mode when it comes to Spencer."

"I go into Mamma bear mode for all my charges," Garcia smirked before motioning to the rest of the bullpen where the team had already set up for the day.

* * *

Fran waited patiently outside the school but frowned when she saw Spencer rush out of the doors with dirt all down his trousers. He saw her and immediately rushed into her open arms. His eyes were puffy but he wasn't crying. "Spencer, what's wrong?"

"They're all so mean," he sniffed before putting down his bag and bringing out the remains of the book he had brought to school. The pages were torn out, muddy and ripped. "I tried to make them stop but they laughed. They ripped it up."

Fran wrapped her arms around Spencer and held him close as he let the books fall from small hands. "I'm sorry, sweetie. We'll get you a new book and we'll sort out the boys who did this."

"I want to go home, Grammy," he said before escaping her arms and opening the back door of her car. He jumped in and looked away from the school.

* * *

Morgan walked up the stairs and made his way to Spencer's room. Normally, Morgan would always find Spencer reading a book or doing arts and craft but found him laying on the bed and hugging his pillow instead. Sitting on the edge of the bed, Morgan reached out and held his hand. "Grammy told me what happened at school."

"I'm not going back," Spencer shook his head. "They're mean and even my special tutor treats me like a child. I thought things would be better but they aren't."

"I'll talk with your tutor and I'll talk to the school about the boys that ripped up your book. Things will get better. You can't let one day defeat you because I know you're stronger than that. You aren't alone in this like you were in Vegas. I'm here and so is everyone else. We all face problems together."

"When they laughed, it just brought back so many memories of my other school," Reid sighed before sitting up. "Papa, do you think things will really get better?"

"I do," Morgan smiled. "When I was little, I lost my dad and some bad things happened but things did get better in the end. You just have to have the strength to make it through all the bad moments because there are always good moments ahead."

"Like I made it through my daddy hurting me and the good moment came when I came to live with you," Spencer said before looking around his room. "I've never had a proper daddy."

Morgan leaned over and swept Spencer into his arms. Spencer wrapped his arms around Morgan and leaned against him. "Spencer, I will always protect you. You're my son and I won't let anyone hurt you again."

* * *

Fran made her way to Spencer's room and grinned as she found Morgan reading a book aloud with Spencer cuddled against his chest. "Room for one more to listen?" she asked.

"Absolutely," Morgan said before motioning to the bed. Fran made her way to the bed and sat on the other side with Spencer. She was soothed by the sound of her son reading to Spencer and knew that the little boy was the best thing to happen to her son in a long time.

* * *

**A few days later**

Spencer looked up as a shadow fell over him and the book he was reading. He looked up to see a boy his age staring down at him. "What's your name?"

"Spencer."

"My name is Ethan. Do you want to play?"

Spencer closed his book and knew he had to be brave and take the first step in making friends. "Okay. What are we playing?"

"Tag," Ethan answered before gently tapping Spencer's shoulder and giggling. "Tag!

Spencer quickly rose to his feet and chased after Ethan with a smile on his face.

* * *

**A month later**

Morgan walked out of his room and immediately smelled the strong chemical smell coming from Spencer's room. He opened the door to find Spencer cleaning the carpet with a sponge and a small spray bottle next to him. He rushed over and grabbed the sponge from his hands. "Spencer, what are you doing?"

Spencer slumped against the bed. "Didn't want you to be angry," he said in a small voice. "I was sick and I had to clean it up."

Morgan pressed his hand against Spencer's forehead and noticed the pale tone to the young boy's skin. "Oh, kiddo, you're burning up."

"Not allowed to be sick, Papa Morgan."

"It's okay to be sick. Your daddy didn't like it when you got sick, did he?"

"He hit me when I was sick. He would push my face into the vomit when I was sick."

Morgan's anger flared at the thought of William doing such a horrible act against Spencer. He brought Spencer into his arms and stood up. "I will never be angry when you're sick. Never think you have to clean it up. You should come and get me when you're sick. We need to get you better and that means lots of rest and lots of fussing over you."

Fran met him as he left Spencer's room with the small boy in his arms. "Derek, what's wrong?"

"Spencer is burning up. I'm going to get him settled into some new pajamas and settled on the couch downstairs. Can you call the doctor and have her come out? I don't want to take any risks."

* * *

**A few hours later**

"It's a bug that's been going round lately. He must have caught it at school," the doctor informed Morgan as she put away her equipment. "He'll be fine but he needs plenty of rest and needs to be kept well hydrated. His temperature is up at the moment and I'm going to give you a prescription for some medication that will help him fight off the bug a bit easier. Keep him cool and his temperature should come down within the next two days. He may be sick again so I just suggest you keep a bowl nearby."

"You're sure it's just a bug?" Morgan asked to be sure. "It's not appendicitis or anything more severe."

"No, it's a bug that I've seen in a few of my other younger patients. I know it's hard to see someone you care about like this but he'll be fine."

"Thank you for coming out so quickly."

"Just doing my job," she smiled before picking up her bag. "Call me if you have any questions or if his condition worsens."

Morgan walked the doctor out and closed the door behind him. Fran came next to him and took the prescription from his hand. "I'll go and get this. I think Spencer wants you at the moment."

"Thanks, Mom. I just hate seeing him so sick. He's usually more active and I'm just not used to seeing him this way."

"You're a parent now and it's not easy seeing your child ill. It's okay to worry. It keeps you on your toes. Now, go in and sit with Spencer. I've put a small bowl of cold water and a cloth on the table. Keep him cool."

Morgan nodded and walked back into the living room to find Spencer uncomfortable and trying to get up. He walked over and gently pushed Spencer back down to the pillow. "You need to rest."

Taking the cloth and soaking it in the water, he pressed it against Spencer's forehead and saw the relief flood his features. "Is that better?"

"I don't like being ill," Spencer pouted sadly.

"No-one does buddy but you'll be fine in a few days. Grammy has gone to get you some medicine that will have you up and lecturing me about my improper use of certain words."

Morgan relaxed as a small smile came to Spencer's face. "Papa Morgan will always make you smile, kiddo."

**Please review**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hello everyone, long time since I updated and I am really sorry about that. Last year was a bit of a tough year for me both physically and emotionally and I've been taking some time to get myself back into some sort of routine again and to not stress about a lot of things in my life. I didn't want to update when I was in a bad place because I knew it would show in my writing and I want to give you all the best chapters that I can. You've all been so supportive and I want to thank those who sent my messages asking about my wellbeing. I can happily report that I'm in a much better place in my life emotionally and that all stories will be updated during the week as I am just putting the final touch to them all. Enjoy and I look forward to hearing from you.  
**

**Big time jump ahead...**

**Thanks for all the reviews and for being so patient. Thanks!**

**Enjoy and please review**

**All mistakes are my own**

**A few weeks later**

"Mom!" Spencer shouted happily as he ran across the grass and into his mother's arms.

Morgan smiled as he watched Diana kneel and sweep her son into her arms. She kissed his forehead and held Spencer close to her. Morgan came next to them but didn't disturb the wonderful moment between mother and son.

Diana brought Spencer away slightly and brushed some of his stray brown hair behind his ears. Her eyes watered as she held his cheek. "Oh, look at you. My little boy. I've missed you so much."

"I've missed you too, mommy," Spencer smiled. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, sweetie. In fact, I'm doing very well at the center. Your letters make my day though. I can't wait to hear more about what you've been up to. You have to tell me more about your friend at school. He sounds like a very nice boy," Diana said before rising up and hugging Morgan. "Thank you for bringing him here today."

"You can see him whenever you want," Morgan said gently. "Is the center being good to you?"

"They are being very helpful with my condition and they let me do things that William never let me do. It's the right place for me," she assured him before looking to Spencer and seeing the happiness in his eyes. "Just like the best place for him is with you, Morgan."

* * *

Morgan watched as Diana played chess with her son using the board they had brought with them. The chess board was one that Rossi had brought for Spencer and Rossi had delighted in seeing the joy on Spencer's face when he had given it to him. One side of the board was dedicated to wizards and other creatures while the other side was dedicated to evil skeleton beings. Spencer always chose the wizard and creature pieces as he had developed a fascination with magic tricks after reading multiple books about magic and magicians. Every day that Spencer kept smiling was a blessing to Morgan and he was determined to make sure that the young boy never went another day without smiling.

Morgan reached into his pocket as it began to buzz and looked at the number. He pressed answer and put it to his ear. "Hey, baby girl."

"How is my favorite man today?" she asked with glee lacing her voice.

"I'm fine," Morgan chuckled as he teased Garcia.

"You know who is my favorite man, he has big blue glasses and the cutest smile. Seriously, how is he? Is everything going okay?"

"Garcia, everything is going great. He's playing chess with his mother and he's been telling her about everything at school and about how all of us keep making him laugh. Diana is doing really well too. She's one hell of a strong woman to have survived what William did to her."

"Woman are strong but mothers are no match for even the incredible hulk when their children are involved. She held on for Spencer. We all know that."

* * *

Diana knew her time with Spencer was growing short and felt her heart ache as each minute passed till she would have to say goodbye. She held Spencer closer to her as they watched the other children play. Never in her life did she think that this freedom would come to her son. William had made their lives hell but they had endured and with help, had been given the chance to live their lives the way they wanted to. "Spencer, I'm sorry that I wasn't always able to protect you," she said gently before looking down at his face as it turned to hers.

"You did protect me, Mommy. I'm the one that's sorry. I couldn't stop him from hurting you," he spoke before biting his lower lip. "I know he used to hurt you really bad."

Diana held her son close to her and kissed the top of his head. "You have nothing to be sorry for. A child is supposed to be able to have a childhood and not have to protect their parents. My job, my life, is to protect you. Don't think about what he did to me because I don't. He was nothing but a small man who needed to hurt us to make himself big. I want you to make me a promise. I want you to promise me that you will live your life to the fullest, always show kindness and never look back to the dark times. The future is where you should look to see the light."

"I promise, Mommy," Spencer said as his eyes watered. He buried his head against his chest and put his small arms around her. I promise, Mommy."

* * *

**Home - The next day**

Morgan noticed the distant look in Spencer's eyes and the way Spencer was barely touching his food. "Spencer, what's on your mind?"

"Nothing," Spencer shrugged before biting his bottom lip.

"Spencer, I can see something is wrong. I'm always here to listen and help you. You can tell me anything," Morgan said as he tried to get Spencer to open up.

Spencer put down his fork and leaned back in his chair. "I don't know if I can keep a promise that I made to my Mom."

"What promise, kiddo?"

"I promised her that I would always show kindness and that I would never look into the bad times. I don't know if I can do that. It's hard not to remember what he did to me. What if I start to get angry and I start to become like my daddy?"

"That will never happen, Spencer," Morgan spoke. "You will never become him. You have too much of your mother's pure heart and kindness for that to ever happen. It won't happen because you have a big family around you that will always steer you to the right path and will always support you. Lastly, I'm your Papa and I know your heart. You will do only good in this world and I see you helping so many people in this world."

Spencer slid off his seat and rushed into Morgan's arms. "Thank you, Papa."

Morgan held Spencer close and kissed the top of his head. "I'll always keep you safe, kiddo. We all will."

* * *

**Eight years later**

Spencer didn't hear the sound of the others around him as they chanted. He was too focused on hitting the boy in front of him. The boy was two years older than him but he had managed to get the upper hand and couldn't stop himself from punching the other boy in the face as he fell to the floor.

"Fight! Fight! Fight!" the other students around him chanted.

"Break it up!" a voice boomed from behind them. Spencer struggled as two strong arms grabbed his shoulders and dragged him back. He knew it was his english Teacher, Mr Bukowski, dragging him back.

"Don't you ever come near me again!" Spencer screamed, ignoring the pain of his split lip and swollen cheek. Another teacher was knelt by the boy he had been hitting and helping him up and holding a tissue to him bloody nose.

"That's enough, Spencer!" Mr Bukowski growled. "I'm going to have to call your father. This has to stop."

* * *

Morgan walked into the school and into the principal's office to see Spencer sitting in one chair with a split lip and swollen cheek. He also saw the bruised and swollen knuckles of Spencer's hand. "What happened?"

"Mr Morgan, a fight broke out today between Spencer and another student and as we both know, this isn't the first time. This is the fourth fight in two months that Spencer has been involved in."

"I'm not going to stand there and let some idiot dick get away with saying crap," Spencer snapped.

"Spencer," Morgan admonished as he met his son's eyes. "Don't be disrespectful to Principal August."

"He said things about my mother," Spencer said before gritting his jaw. "The sooner I graduate out of here, the better."

"You may be graduating Spencer in a month but this is going on your record. You're fourteen, a brilliant student and I have no doubt you have a bright future ahead of you but you cannot keep fighting, especially when you get to college and begin your studies. I see that you have a lot of anger inside of you but you have to control it if you want to complete your education."

Spencer said nothing as he painfully curled his hands into fists.

"I'm sorry about this, Principal August. I'll speak with him at home and he'll accept any punishment you give him," Morgan spoke.

"A week in detention," Principal August sighed. "The other student will be given the same. You can take him home now, Mr Morgan."

Spencer rose up from the chair and walked past Morgan without saying a word. Morgan followed after to him to outside and grabbed his arm before he could get into the car. "This has to stop. Your mother would not want you fighting."

"She's not here!" Spencer shouted. "He called her a deranged bitch and said it was my fault she died. He stole my journal and he read it. He had no right to read those words."

"It's not your fault she died," Morgan said as he tried to calm him down. "It was accident."

"Everything is my fault!" Spencer began to cry. "Her death was my fault and I hate myself."

Morgan grabbed Spencer and held him close. He wrapped his arms around Spencer and refused to let him go. "Spencer, it's okay. Just let it out. It wasn't your fault."

Morgan felt his son shake and cry in his arms. The last eight years had not been easy and Morgan was struggling to be a good father to Spencer. He wanted to make everything better for Spencer but there was no way he could bring back the one person who could do that.

**Please review**

**This will not turn into a Morgan and Garcia romance for those wondering. I have changed things a little from the show regarding Spencer graduating high school.  
**


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